Professionals vs. workers

If you need something done, who would you rather hire: a professional, an amateur, or a worker?

Seth Godin has a very clear answer.

Persistence & Passion

One of my friends is about to get his novel published. Actually, another friend announced just last night that a publisher bought his book - I guess I have talented friends - but this post is about the first guy.

He's been writing this one book for seven years. Seven years! I can't even comprehend it. I've been a writer for 20 years, but I've never attempted a project that big. I get antsy working on the same project after seven days.

In the past seven years, my friend has gone through just about every emotion a writer can go through: delight at the initial idea; pleasure in putting it down on paper; frustration when the words won't find their way from your brain to your keyboard; doubt about the quality of the work, blending into absolute certainty that it is complete and utter crap; exhilaration at finding a new way to present the material; drive to get the job done; exhaustion and, again, exhilaration at typing the final words.

But he did it - he persisted through all of that. Through the highs and the lows and the negative self-talk. He kept going. For seven years.

How many people are willing to pursue a passion with intensity and drive for seven years? Some can't even do it for seven minutes.

But my friend did, and he received a very sweet reward: In addition to the satisfaction of his accomplishment as an artist, he has a contract with a big-time, major publishing house.

As I thought about my friend's accomplishment, I realized it has many parallels with what we do in the marketing world. The best marketers are passionate about their products - and that passion fuels the fire that keeps them going even in the cold, lonely Valley of "No" and the swamp of "Go Away, We Don't Want Any."

What sweet reward drives you to pursue your marketing business through the difficult times and the negative self-talk we all encounter?

Taking a "Snow Day"

I love being an entrepreneur - especially on days like yesterday, when I compensated myself for two very hectic weeks by taking a "snow day."

No, it didn't snow. But I pretended that it had, a blizzard so bad that it knocked out all of my communication equipment - no computer, no internet, no cell phone. Just me, my needlepoint, and some entertainingly mind-numbing TV shows all day.

When I work too hard and too long, I sometimes find myself getting resentful about it. So I make time just for me, to stop and relax.

Believe me, it wasn't easy. I kept thinking, "Oh, I could just do this one thing," or "I should really check my email." But I didn't. I reminded myself that those "one things" would always be with me - but that imaginary snow only lasts a day.

Snow days remind me why I love the work I do, and I always come back the next day happier and more productive.

More success tips for entrepreneurs in this article from Entrepreneur magazine.

Belief

A couple of posts ago, I invited the Universe to bring on the questioners.

I've only been writing for 20 years, you'd think I'd know by now not to say silly things like that.

Since writing that post, I have been hit by a tsunami of questions - some of them downright hostile - from people who don't understand my business and/or my products. And what's worst: They don't seem particularly interested in hearing the answers.

So today I'm writing about Belief. And Universe, if you're listening (and we both know you are), I'm not talking about people who believe in what they think they know and aren't interested in hearing anything else. I'm talking about people who have a positive belief in themselves and their ability to learn and grow. People who believe in the products that have helped me so much over the last three years. And people who believe in the powerful business model that has brought me - and many others - some very welcome extra income in these wacky economic times. People who believe that, working together, we can change the world. And people who can't wait to get started doing just that.

Let's rock the world together.

Message from a Reformed "But"-Head

What's the most dangerous word in the English language?

"But."

As in...
"My life is wonderful, but..."
"Things would be great, but..."
"I'd love to, but..."

Trust me, I know. I used to be the biggest "But"-Head on the planet. Nothing was as good as it could be, therefore everything was bad.

What a waste of a life!

I've been thinking about this today because I'm going to be coaching a team member later, and I think she may be a bit of a "But"-Head as well. And as I was thinking about what I might say to her, I realized that, in fact, I've been wandering down "But" Lane myself this morning. You see, I have a ton of writing work to do, "but" then there's all this coaching claiming my time, too. Life would be just perfect if only I could do whatever I want, whenever I want. "But" I can't.

So excuse me for a moment while I reframe things. My life is pretty darn fabulous. I love writing and I'm blessed to be able to do it as one of my careers. I love my other career, too - helping people to grow into their power through the magic of marketing, and helping people to improve their health through the science of nutrition. It's day 2 of a messy snowstorm outside and I get to sit in my cozy, warm house and "commute" from bedroom to office in a minute or less, no foul-weather gear required. Ooh, I'm smiling now. Turns out life is perfect already. AND it's going to be a great day.

Questions? Fabulous!

Some network marketers don't like people who ask questions. They'd prefer the kind of prospect who will say "yes" instantly - or "no" semi-instantly - to the kind who wants to know Why this? and Why that?

Now, I'm not saying I'll humor you if you decide to channel your inner three-year-old and respond "Why?" every time I finish a sentence. But if you're approaching your decision thoughtfully - if you've done your homework and there are things you honestly want to know more about - fabulous!

Undoubtedly some of the reason I love questions so much is that the more you know about our company, the more you'll like us. So I don't have anything to fear from people who do their due diligence. Bring it on!

But I think the biggest reason I love people who ask thoughtful questions is that I can tell they're taking our interaction - and the business opportunity - seriously. And if you care enough about it to spend all that time digging up research before you join my business, you're going to set the world on fire once you become my partner and start telling other people about this stuff.

And that's a wonderful thing, isn't it?

My Life as "Groundhog Day"

Remember the movie Groundhog Day? Very funny movie - Bill Murray keeps living the same day over and over again. That's the definition of insanity, right? When you keep doing the same things over and over, expecting to have different results.

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, consider this a spoiler alert. (But honestly, it was released in 1993 - you've had 17 years to get around to it.) As the day keeps repeating itself, first Bill Murray's character tries to use his knowledge of what's going to happen for his personal gain. But then he realizes that instead he can use it to help people. Helping people. It makes him a better person, it makes the world around him a better place, and it finally helps him break the cycle that has him repeating the same day over and over.

In the past few years as I've taken the journey described intermittently in this blog, I've learned the same lesson. It's not about the ingredients in our nutritional cleansing product. It's not about how much weight I've managed to keep off, or how much extra income I've brought in. It's about how many people can I help today? And how can I keep helping them tomorrow?

I'm building a strong business, yes. But most important to me is that I'm building it with people who share my values. People who also want to help others. If you're one of them, check out the video on the left there, tell me who you are and we can talk - or email - and let me see how I can help you.