The RULE OF 72 is the most simple, yet most important rule of financial success.  Compound interest is extremely powerful, but you’d better make sure that you are having it work FOR you and not AGAINST you.

The RULE OF 72 can tell you how long it will take to double your money in any particular investment.  Unfortunately, it also tells you how long it will take for any debt you have to double.  

Here is how it works.  Simply take the number 72 and divide it by the percentage rate you are either paying on your debt or earning on your investment.  So, if you have a savings account with $10,000 in it and it earns 3% interest, your money will take 24 years to double to $20,000. (72/3=24). 

This may not sound very exciting, but consider this: One penny doubled everyday for 30 days (I month) will turn into a whopping $10,737,417.00 at the end of that month! 

I love this quote from Baron de Rothschild, when asked if he could name the 7 wonders of the world: “I cannot, but I know that the eighth wonder of the world is compound interest.” 

It is so important to not only earn a higher percentage return on your investments, but to pay a lower percentage interest rate on your debts and eliminate as much debt as possible.  We don’t want to make the financial institutions rich.  Let’s keep as much as we can for ourselves and put our money in a position to take advantage of the RULE OF 72 instead of being a victim of it. 

For most of us, our biggest loan is our mortgage.  The banks are killing us by using the RULE OF 72 against us.  Over the course of our loan, they will watch their accounts grow exponentially as we pay only a tiny amount against our principle with each monthly payment and a HUGE amount of interest to them.  

What is the solution?  Pay that mortgage off FAST!  There are several ways to do this:  

First, you can simply send in additional money each month for your mortgage company to apply directly to your principal loan balance. 

Second, you can implement a bi-weekly payment plan.  Most mortgage companies have a program like this that they can set you up on, so contact your mortgage company first, but if they do not offer such a program, you can do a search on the internet under: “bi-weekly mortgage.”  

Third, there are several software companies that offer a web-based system that helps homeowners monitor, manage and pay off their mortgages and other consumer debt faster and more efficiently than most can do on their own.  Do an internet search on this to learn more. 

The one I use and have shared with my readers, enables homeowners to cancel out interest on their mortgage with the money they normally deposit in their checking and/or savings account.  It uses an advanced line of credit or ALOC, which is an open ended loan that bases the interest calculation on the daily balance, by using a daily periodic interest rate, rather than the month-end balance like most mortgages use.  Without making this confusing, this allows the homeowner to use all of their money and income for a given period of time, until it is needed to pay their monthly expenses.  This maximizes money power and reduces the banks ability to earn interest on the homeowner’s money. 

I have a whole chapter about this in my free report “3 Secrets Of Millionaires.”, if you’d like to learn more.  You can get a free, no obligation analysis by visiting: http://www.PayOffYourMortgageInHalfTheTime.com   The report will tell you exactly when you can expect to have your mortgage paid off and how many thousands of dollars you will save by doing it.  Do some homework on this.  If you set a mortgage pay off plan in place, you can pay off your mortgage in half the time and save thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars of your money to use for yourself, instead of giving it to your bank or mortgage company.  

I have also included a video after this post, with an overview of this unique tool to pay off your mortgage faster.

Get the RULE OF 72 working for you, to create your fortune, instead of having it work against you to make the banks rich.

Effectively Marketing Your MLM Business Online by Mike Koller

MLM, network marketing, referral marketing, legal pyramid scheme, multi-level marketing call it what you want, is on fire in today’s economy.  In a world with no more job security, massive layoffs and small business closing every day, the world is screaming out for a way to earn money with a low start-up cost and good income potential.  MLM is just that… a low entry cost system anyone can start for a few hundred bucks, little or no inventory requirements and huge income potential.  Many experts refer to it as the last bastion of free society.  An average person can make a fortune in their own network marketing business when done right!  The key words are when done right.

The problem is that most people fail because they do not know how to attract the distributors to join their MLM teams or generate repeat customers for their products.  I have been in MLM for over 20 years.  Until I learned to crack the code on generating leads and getting interested prospects to come to me instead of me pestering them, I struggled.  I remember on one Thursday night I invited 23 people to come to an opportunity meeting.  I was so excited at how my hard work was about to pay off.  How many showed? ZERO!  I drove home with my tail between my legs and my courage and enthusiasm waning.  I quit for a few years and vowed to never attempt an MLM again.

A few years later I learned how to build a list of open minded individuals (open to what I had to offer) and everything changed.  I was approached by a nice enough guy about a hot network marketing company endorsed by some impressive experts.  I came up with an expert idea.  I would contact the people on my list and fill them in on why I recommended that they consider joining my team.  The rest is history.

I started attracting successful people left and right.  I went on to reach the top ten distributor list in that company and made it onto their prestigious Million Dollar Earner Club.  I got to know all of the top distributors and learned that they all had built their empire in different ways, but many of them had a system in place that delivered interested prospects to them each and every week.  This approach was like shooting fish in a bucket.  No more begging people to come to a meeting… no more cold calling… no more buying and calling cold leads… no more frustration and failure.  I would like to teach you how to duplicate my success if you will allow me.

Folks, here is the bottom line.  You need to have a system in place to attract people to you instead of you soliciting them.  When they come to you, it is a totally different deal.  Your posture totally changes.  You are in control, introducing them to something that they have already established they are interested in.

Teach 4 or 5 of your sharp team members to do the same thing and you are off and running towards a delightfully successful lifestyle with lots of money and lots of time freedom.  Own your own life.  Fire your boss.  Get yourself a few tattoos!  Well maybe not the tattoo part.  That is up to you.

There are several awesome ways to develop a system like this for yourself.  I did it because I was an author and had the contact information of all of my book customers to introduce them to my MLM.  Chances are you are not in this same situation, but what you can do is introduce value and build credibility with your new list of friends by sharing excellent information with them that will help them in their quest to become successful.  One way is to sell a few excellent affiliate programs that they can use as tools in their business.

This is the gist or the basic idea.  Some people call it attraction marketing, because you are attracting people on to your list, they like what you shared with them and are then open minded when you approach them in the future about other things, like your MLM for instance.  You then build your list bigger and bigger creating a large ever growing list of potential team mates.  You now have an audience…a group of interested, open minded prospects.  Isn’t that better then begging people to come to a meeting?

Okay, your homework assignment is to search the Internet for MLM Marketing Systems.  There are now a bunch of them out there.  Many will provide you with your own lead capture web page (a place for prospects to arrive at and leave you their name and email address because they would like to learn more about your deal), an auto-responder email follow-up system and training.

In a future article I will tell you how to get traffic to your web site, but for now I just want you to investigate some of the tools that are available to you in today’s Internet based marketing world.

I looked at many of them and some are better than others, so do your homework.

I share my system with my MLM team and am more than happy to share it with my readers as well.  I like it because it is the most comprehensive I have been able to find.  Most of it is already set up, the training is in the form of brief but detailed video tutorials, and it allows you to create a unique image of you and your business, build credibility and attract sharp people to introduce to your MLM team.

Another great thing is that there are a few great affiliate tools already built into the program that you can sign up for. This is key because as you funnel prospects through your marketing machine, not everyone is going to join your network marketing team, but many will still sign up for some of the affiliate deals and earn you commissions to offset and perhaps totally eliminate your costs involved in bringing traffic to your system.

Think big here.  Imagine if you attracted 30, 50 or even 100 interested prospects to you each and every day who wanted to learn about joining your successful team.  Wouldn’t building your MLM team become a tad easier?  Then taking it to the next level, what if you taught 4 or 5 of your team members to duplicate your success.  The sky is the limit, so stop struggling in your MLM business and get this party started.

Feel free to visit my web site to learn more about the system I use, called The Mentored Mind, at: http://www.TheMentoredMind.com

© Mike Koller 2009

Maybe your self-doubt stems from some negative experiences early in your life. For example, if people made fun of you when you were a child, you might doubt your abilities even today.

* Traumatic experiences can cause a vicious cycle of self-doubt in your mind.

Parents, teachers, and other children can sometimes unwittingly say things that have a powerful impact for both good and bad. So, how do you turn things around and stop that nagging voice in your head that says you’ll never be good enough?

Here are some tactics to help you erase that doubt and become more confident:

Let Go of Negative Criticism of Yourself

This applies to both past and present. Don’t let a jerk of a boss ruin your day by simply adding his voice to the tape player in your head. Realize that he may be taking his anger out on someone else because of his own inadequacies. People’s negative attitudes speak volumes about them, not about you!
 
* Stifle your tendency to criticize yourself. By agreeing with those who criticize you, you’re giving them all the power.

* Pay no attention to that voice in your head that’s saying you’re going to fail. If you stop listening, it will get quieter and eventually disappear.

* Reclaim your life by believing that you CAN succeed.

* Surround yourself with supportive people who believe in you.

Prepare Yourself and Do Your Best!

It’s not enough just to think positively; you have to actively pursue success as well. Visualizing your end goal can help you make the right choices, but no one can do the work except you. One way to overcome self-doubt is to write down your positive qualities.

* Make a list of at least 5 good things about you. Every day when you wake up read the list. Reading aloud will also help you to believe the items you’ve listed.

The positive thinking will help prepare your mind to succeed, but there are other ways you can help yourself achieve your goals as well:

* Set reasonable goals. Decide what you want to do within a set amount of time. Keep your goals realistic so you can meet them. If you set unrealistic goals that you can’t meet, you’ll quickly become discouraged.  Start out small and get bigger with your dreams.


* Get busy. Inactive people easily become depressed. To avoid this unpleasant situation, immerse yourself in achieving your goals. Hard work will always pay off in the end. 


* Revel in your success. Self-doubters tend to think they don’t deserve to succeed. But you do! You deserve a reward for conquering your self-doubt and becoming more confident. You deserve to be honored for your hard work and perseverance.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Just remember you can’t reach the top of a mountain in one giant leap; it takes many steps along the way to reach the peak in due time. The same is true of success and achieving your goals.

Taking baby steps and attaining many small successes will bring you the confidence to reach your dreams. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the journey to becoming the self-assured person you know you can be. It’s a wild ride, but it’s well worth it in the end.

When you were fired, they called it a strategic downsizing. Now that didn’t make you any better off… but it sure sounded nicer than being “fired”

Euphemisms are efficient linguistic tactics to counter objections. The key is to redefine certain words in an antagonist’s statement such that his objection no longer seems so overwhelming.

Through redefinition we create new “frame” meanings about a behaviour by re-labeling a key word that’s part of the belief statement. The relabeling frames the entire belief statement with a new meaning.

Redefinition asserts that “X doesn’t mean Y, it means Z” Since X=Z and not Y, we now have a totally new belief statement. hopefully a more empowering one.

Here are some questions you can test yourself with to increase your flexibility at reframing: What meanings have other people given to this objection/ belief?

What other meanings could I attribute this behavior? What value could this belief have in other nations or cultures?

The secret to reframing: Simply replace one of the key words in the argument such that it subtly changes the sentence’s meaning.

1. “It doesn’t mean x, it means y”
2. “It doesn’t cause x,” it causes y”
3. “If you really want to see a case of x, consider.”

Let’s do some reframes, after all, practice makes perfect.

Objection: You were too tough on your employees; it’s unkind! How do you expect to motivate them?

Answer: I agree that they might be hurt at first. But tough words also have its place. In this instance, I’m actually not criticizing without just cause. I’m simply expressing my feelings so they’ll know where I stand. Would you rather I lied? You believe in assertive conversation, don’t you?

Objection: You’re tardy for the umpteenth time. You don’t care about me.

Answer: My being late doesn’t imply I don’t care. It means I had a lot of things to do at work today; it also means I want to get everything out of my mind so when I get home I can fully relish being with you and show you how much I truly care!

Where ever you are presently in your life you can begin to make large amounts of money very fast if you understand a few simple principles.  Despite what anyone may tell you these principles of generating money fast do work.

These principles are not difficult but in order to understand them you must process them.  You must take the time to give them some thought, until the thought becomes a part of your very being. 

How to make money fast is one of the hot topics on everyone’s mind.  Most people will tell you that claims of making fast money is a hokes.  Those are the very people who believe that only hard work and struggle can create money.  However despite the hard work, the concept of fast money is still not part of the equation.  After all if you are working very hard you are unlikely to be making the sort of fast money that you would dream of.

I can tell you from first hand experience that fast money does not come through hard work.  If you are marketing your business or interested in accumulating more money struggling will only kill your changes of getting money in a fast and easily way.

The First Step

The first think you need in order to make fast money is to have a clear goal.  How much do you want?  You would be so surprise at how many people want more money but don’t have a clear idea as to how much they want.

Without a clear goal your desire is just a wish, it is not concrete.  Be specific about how much money you want and by when you would like to have it.

The Second Step

The very next step is to take inspired action.  Inspired action comes from the universe as a nudge.  It’s the perfect idea, job or business that will help you in getting your goal accomplished. 

It makes no sense trying to do something that your neighbor or your coworker tried.  What is an ideal opportunity to make fast money for them may not be ideal for you.  Besides your goals are unique and the opportunities that are rightfully aligned for you are rightfully suited for you to reach your goal in the time that you desire.

The Third Step

The third most powerful step is to have a clear and bright vision of your goal.  This is where most people fail.  Most people get caught up in fear and worry that their goal will not be able to materialize and spend lots of wasted time holding back on their actions.

How many times have you been offered a great idea which you may have promised to do but allowed your fears to get in the way?

You must be able to hold your vision in such a way as to feed it with your own personal powerful intention that your vision will materializes money a lot faster than usual.

Many people who understand the power of holding a clear vision have gone on to make money very fast again and again.  Those are the ones who deeply understood the precise way.  With a little time and your deep desire you can literally suck money to you faster.

Over the years I can honestly say that I have tested all these theories and without fail they work in generating money faster than if I did not practice these methods.

Think of a time in your life when you achieved something you really wanted. Did you doubt it would happen and believe that you could not achieve it? Or did you have a solid sense of knowing that it would happen and doubt never entered into your mind?

It was the second wasn’t it?

When Richard Branson set up Virgin Airways, did he sit in his office and wonder if it would ever work? Did Bill Gates sit in his office wondering if anyone would want to buy his Windows product? They may have done for a little while, but they did not let these doubts rule them. They knew their plans would work and that they would be successful.

When working to achieve your goals, you need that unerring sense of confidence and lack of doubt in yourself. You must Know it is going to happen and that you will succeed. We are not talking about thinking you will succeed, believing you will succeed or knowing you will achieve your goal. They are all intellectual forms of Knowing, Knowing with a capital K; that solid feeling in the pit of your stomach that you will make happen and you cannot fail. Expect it to happen and know there is no other way. It will happen. This Knowing gives you drive and commitment to see you through to the success of your goal.

But how do you get this feeling? One of the best and most effective techniques is visualisation.

You currently use the power of visualisation, probably without even realising it. Have you ever run through what you are going to say to someone before you have the conversation? Or seen yourself in your mind giving a presentation before you give it?

That is the power of visualisation, and it is very potent. You can use it not only for your goals, but for any aspect of your life. Visualisation is something most people are unused to directing. You will find initially that your attention will wander, but you have to pull it back to the task at hand. It is similar to building a muscle up through exercise – it takes time to strengthen it.

The exercise for visualising your goals is very simple, and is as follows.

1) Select the goal that you wish to work with

2) Picture an image of this goal in your mind

3) Visualise yourself attaining your goal. Use all of your senses – touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste. Really feel your success with every fibre of your being and Know that your goal is as good as achieved.

4) Hold this image in your mind for a minimum of 10 minutes – remain focus and positive. Challenge any doubts that rise and replace them with positive words and images of success. If you get distracted or your mind wanders, bring your focus back to your goal.

You can also hold this successful image in your mind as you go about your day to day business. Keep the image there and focus on your success. You get what you focus on – and if you focus on achieving your goal, then you will get it. Visualisation is a method of programming the subconscious mind for success.

With some goals you may want to keep them private. If you are trying to get fit and your friends know you have been less than energetic in the past when you tell them your goal, they will laugh and joke and not believe you. This doubt and disbelief can affect your belief in yourself and in your goal, which in turn can lead to failure to achieve the goal.

It is hard enough to overcome our own doubts and worries without having to also overcome those of the people around you. Keep any goals where you may be influenced by others to yourself and let the people around you see the successful end result.

Affirming Success

Another method for achieving your goals is to use affirmations, which means you repeat your goal again and again to yourself. This is another method of programming your subconscious mind, which is the source of all action.

An affirmation is a sentence or two that is written in a positive language with definite targets and timescales. A bad affirmation would be “I want to lose some weight.” Your subconscious looks at this and since there is no timescale it will not leap into action. There is also no definite target so your subconscious does not know what to aim for. How is “some weight” defined? It is 10 pounds, but also 1 pound and also just 1 ounce.

A good affirmation is “I want to lose 10 pounds by the end of this year.” This sends the right messages to your subconscious. It knows that you exactly how much you have to lose (10 pounds) and when this must be done by (the end of this year). You know precisely what you have to do and when it has to be done by.

If the goal is to lose 10 pounds by the end of the year, we need an action plan to get us to this goal and to make it happen. In this case the action plan may be to reduce our chocolate intake and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables we consume. The action plan is made up of a series of milestones. For example, if there are 5 months until the end of the year then our milestones would be to lose 2 pounds each month.

Little Steps

You may have a big goal such as “To have an income in excess of £100,000 a year by the time I am 35” (notice the goal is specific in both the timescale and the amount and does not put an upper limit on your earning potential.)

This goal can be very daunting to look at, perhaps even enough for you to give up and not strive to achieve it. To overcome this, you break your goal down into a number of smaller, more manageable steps.

Any large goal can be broken down into a number of sub-goals, which can then be broken down even further if necessary. Each of the sub-goals has an associated action plan with it. Using our income goal from above, sub-goals could be to understand taxation, to understand investment, to start your own company, and so on.

Smaller goals are easier for you to handle, and help you to stay on course to your main goal. You also get the satisfaction of regularly having successes and achieving goals, which does wonders for your belief in yourself.

All of your major goals and their associated sub-goals and action plans need to be regularly reviewed – ideally daily. This ensures you remain focussed on your goals and instantly know if you start to drift away from your target. It allows you to adjust your goals and action plan according to whether things are working quicker or slower than planned. It also prevents you from repeating actions and carrying out tasks that are not necessary. It keeps the goals in the forefront of your mind, and does not allow you to forget about them.

Achieving our goals is something we all want to do, but it involves work. Rarely will they be given to us on a silver platter by a servant on bended knee. Achievement requires Knowing, drive and commitment, combined with careful and meticulous planning and a firm belief in ourselves. With unwavering belief and commitment there is nothing that you cannot achieve. Everything and anything is within your grasp – if you are willing to make the commitment to achieving it.

Behaving Ethically, by: learning about the ethical issues and concerns that impact on your business sector; adopting a balanced, open-minded approach to the ethical concerns of others; considering the ethical issues and implications of all personal actions and organisational activity; raising and discussing ethical issues before proposing or agreeing to decisions; resisting pressures from the organisation or its partners to achieve objectives by unethical means.

Thinking Strategically, by: learning and understanding how the different functions, physical divisions, and layers, of the organisation should work together: understanding the complexities of, and the changes happening in, the external environment, and considering how the organisation can best respond the these; understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation, and the opportunities and threats facing it; understanding how the strategic objectives are influenced by all the current and forecast influences that will impact on the organisation; understanding that the operational objectives and targets must be in line with and support the strategic objectives of the organisation; being aware of and responding to the behaviour of current and potential competitors.

Supporting Corporate Goals, by: helping to create and communicate a vision which can be understood and supported by people at all levels; helping others to understand and contribute to the strategic goals; giving visible personal support to the strategic direction and specific goals set by the organisation.

Communicating Effectively, by: being responsive to messages and signals from the internal and external environments; making effective use of communication channels from and to all levels within the organisation; pro-actively encourage the exchange of information within the organisation, and amongst suppliers, customers and partners; listening to others, including those with opposing views, carefully and thoughtfully; selecting personal communication styles that are appropriate to the different situations and audiences.

Gathering Information, by: establishing multiple channels and networks which generate a constant flow of information, from within and outside the organisation; regularly and consistently gathering, analysing, challenging, and using the information gathered.

Making Decisions, by: establishing a consistent approach to the analysis of information; drawing on personal experience and knowledge to identify current and potential problems; consider a range of solutions before selecting the final one; ensuring that the selected decision is feasible, achievable, and affordable; considering the impact of the decision on all stakeholders, at all levels, before approving implementation.

Developing Effective Teams, by: appreciating the contribution of others, at all levels in the organisation; ensuring that individuals and teams are kept informed of plans, developments and issues that will affect them; ensuring that individual and team development schemes are given appropriate priority; providing personal support for the implementation and maintenance of development activities for individuals and teams at all levels.

Behaving Assertively, by: understanding and responding to personal roles and responsibilities; adopting a leading role in initiating action and decision making; taking personal responsibility for decisions and actions; being properly prepared for involvement in activities and events; being confident and professional in dealing with change and challenges; refusing unreasonable demands; defending and protecting individuals and teams from unfair or discriminatory actions; remaining professional in manner at all times.

Concentrating On Results, by: contributing to the establishment of an organisational culture that demands high standards and high levels of performance; focusing on objectives and planned outcomes, at all times; dealing with issues and problems when they arise; planning and scheduling personal work and the work of others in ways which make best use of available resources; delegating appropriately; giving personal attention to the critical issues and events.

Managing Yourself, by: reflecting regularly on personal performance and progress; pro-actively asking for feedback on personal performance; changing personal behaviour in the light of feedback received; being responsible for your own personal development needs.

Presenting a Positive Image, by: adopting a leading role in initiating action and decision making; behaving in a professional manner at all times; being open-minded and responsive to the needs of others; visibly working towards personal and career development goals; adopting an ethical approach to all personal and organisational activity; being supportive to colleagues; demonstrating fairness and integrity at all times.

In Summary:  these essential attributes are many, and difficult to maintain consistently, but they are the attributes needed by, and expected of, our business leaders. The size of the organisation, the business sector, whether public or private, is of no consequence.

The leaders of all organisations should be role models for others, be visible champions of high standards of professional and ethical behaviour, be leaders who others in their organisations can be proud of, and be leaders that competitors are envious of. Not many of these characteristics are imbued in our leaders by default.

They have to be learned, can be learned, and should then be continuously developed and enhanced. With these personal attributes in place, and being demonstrated in behaviour and actions, business leaders will be more effective and more successful.

When we are actively listened to we feel valued and are far more likely to engage in negotiation and compromise.

Listening is about far more than words.  Watching facial expression and body language is often a far more accurate barometer than the words that are being used.
Nice things being said where the smile doesn’t reach the eyes is an obvious example.

To be an effective listener it is vital that you listen actively.

10 tips to becoming a more effective listener

1. Make eye contact.

2. Read the body language of the talker.  Are they relaxed, anxious, angry? Extremes are easy to recognise but often the message is much more subtle

3. Mirror the talker’s body language – subtly, a gentle dance rather than a caricature.

4. Show that you are listening, nod, make appropriate responses

5. Ask relevant questions, ask them to clarify if you are not clear about their meaning

6. Summarise: so what you are saying is……….

7. Use open ended questions, the who, what, where, when,

8. Be careful of the tone of your voice when you respond or ask questions.  It is all to easy to come across as judgemental or as an interrogator from the Spanish Inquisition

9. Use empathy. Acknowledge difficulties, but be careful not to fall into the trap of going into anecdotes from your experience.  “ I sense that you are finding this rather difficult” rather than “Oh I know, it happened to me but mine was bigger, more difficult etc”

10. Take a real interest, if you are simply going through the motions the lack of sincerity will be obvious to others.  Leave your ego behind, concentrate on the other person

Fear of failure will lead many people into inertia – the inability to make decision or take action in case they receive rejection or negative outcomes. This mental state is fairky easy to identify and there are many tools in the personal development industry to help combat this plague and reprogram the mind for success. However, the fear of success is much more subtle, harder to spot and also harder to eradicate.

Perhaps you have this tendency in your life. Here are some indications of a fear of success mentality.

Studying and trying to implement self-improvement techniques and/or personal development tools but your life does not improve or may even get worse.

You settle for less than you feel you deserve or are capable of achieving.

You start new projects full of enthusiasm and optimism but wane in your efforts or stop short before you have completed them.

You expect things to go wrong no matter how well the situation appears to be at the moment.

Can you identify your own patterns in the any of the above statements?

The fear of success can also make you behave in ways that hold you back. Look at the list below. These are ethe symptoms of the fear of success.

Procrastination – putting off what needs to be done or not doing what you know will bring you closer to your desired result. Everyone suffers from this inner ‘demon’ at some point in their lives (although some of us suffer from it more than others!).

Procrastination is a ’success killer’! How can ou expect to reach your destinationm if you do not take steps towards it? Strive to do little things each day that will bring you small steps closer to your goal. This is why having a personal development plan is an essential ingredient in the fight against procrastination. Take action! Any action! Refine your steps as you go along but do not sit and do nothing. Taking action is one of the key aspects in personal development.

Can’t see the forest for the trees! – this is almost the opposite of procrastination but has the same effect on your personal development. The aforementioned saying is well known but have you ever given it real consideration?

Don’t get caught up in your plan believing that it is more important than the materialised goal! For many years I got caught in this trap. I started to think and act as though my plan was more important than my end result and thus missed many opportunities to alter my path and reach my goals more quickly! Let go of your ego and allow the Universe to show you a quicker route to your goal. Remain flexible.

Thinking that the time is not right – have you ever waited until the timing was perfect before starting a venture? Have you ever waited until you had more information on a better plan?

Again ACTION is the key to the door to success. Taking small steps forward are better than taking none or waiting to see if your foot is landing on the right spot! Even if your actions take you away from your goal you have at least gained insight and knowledge about what does not work!

Being a perfectionist – this is similar to the point above and has the same effect, namely, that you never really move forward. No matter how good a job is when its finished it can always be improved! I have heard many great musicians tell how they hate listening to their own songs because they can find a million things that need improved. Yet, we still enjoy them. I think a classic example of this is “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Paul Simon. This song is hauntingly beautiful yet Mr. Simon does not think its good enough!

Seeing only problems – how do you use your focus? Do you constantly see only and alll the problems involved? If you are this way inclined it is pointless trying to change overnight! However, you can use this mindset to your advantage while you strive in your personal development to acquire an opportunistic frame of mind instead.

“How can you use seeing only problems to my advantage?” you say. “Easily”, is my reply! Look at the problems and prepare a plan to deal with them. Everytime you overcome one congratulate yourself. Use them as a gauge for your achievements. If you keep seeing more problems remind yourself of how well you dealt with the others. Look at how far you have come! If you see a problem ask yourself, “how best can I overcome this challenge?” or “how quickly can I rectify this situation?”. The quality of your questions are important as I have outlined in a previous article. Use the problems as fact finders. Is there a real problem now? If so then deal with it. Is it a potential problem? If so then create a contingency plan in case it does occur but don’t get caught up in it just be prepared.

Enjoy the journey, follow the above guidelines and you will achieve success. Eventually your fear of success will dissipate and you will have moved a long way forward in your personal development.

Choosing the right network marketing company is the first step to success. Working in a company with a superb product, a defined purpose, and a driven atmosphere can make a huge difference in your network marketing career.

When you’re evaluating a network marketing company, the first thing to consider is the company’s credibility and credentials. Avoid network marketing companies that don’t have a strong background, including success stories and being established for several years. Startup network marketing companies go out of business every day. Avoid unproven network marketing companies like the plague.

Choose a company whose purpose and product excites you. When you’re selling your company’s products, you want your pride in your company to shine through. A key idea in selling is “Who you are speaks so loudly, I cannot hear a word you’re saying.” It’s important that you’re so proud and excited about spreading the word about your product that your emotions spill through your word.

You should also take a close look at your immediate upline. Your immediate upline is your sponsor and coach, and oftentimes having a good mentor can make a huge difference in your success. Your upline’s determination, enthusiasm, and pride should flow into you and inspire you to continue to succeed with the company.

Keep in mind that no network marketing company will “make you a success.” The road to success involves taking responsibility for everything that happens, including educating yourself and doing what it takes to be successful. Most network marketing companies, even top-notch companies, don’t train you in the top skills necessary for success. Particularly, very few network marketing companies actually teach marketing.

While choosing a right company is important, what determines your success in the end is still your own commitment to learning and applying the skills it takes to succeed.