by Bahram R. Shahmardaan, PhD
To succeed in any endeavor, we all need to practice the following three Principles. We need to develop:
· Humility to Receive.
· Discipline to achieve and
· Commitment to fulfill.
So that you may be able receive what we are sharing, you need to listen with an open mind.
The first thing we would like to share is the importance of control. In any dynamic situation you can either have control over the events and direct them or have no control and end up being frustrated and face disaster.
A simple example will illustrate the point. A parked car is not dynamic. It is static. In a static situation nothing changes. The moment that car begins to move, it becomes dynamic and there is constant change. So let us say that the car is going at 25 miles an hour and the brakes fail AND THE STEERING WHEEL GETS LOCKED. You would not feel safe in that car because it is a dynamic situation out of control. It is chaotic. However, if that car were in good condition, you would not mind being in that car even if it were speeding at 60 miles an hour because it is a dynamic situation you can control.
So in any dynamic situation, there are only two possibilities. Either you can control it and therefore direct it and make it grow or you have no control over it and you experience chaos and disaster. There is no third possibility.
I submit to you that Life and Business are dynamic. There are only two possibilities. Either you can control it and make it work for you and succeed or you will have no control and experience frustration and failure. There is no third possibility.
Now all of us want to succeed.
To have control over your business and succeed, the very first thing that you need to do is to equip yourself for success. There is an old saying, "You cannot do business from an empty wagon". You cannot succeed if you do not have the appropriate sales tools and the products. You should dress for success.
The next thing you need to do is to develop your own vision and a work ethic that will help you to develop the results you seek. To do so, you must learn to implement the seven essentials of a Vision. Wishful thinking or day dreaming does not constitute a Vision. You must write down your vision and a Plan of Action that will enable you to make your Vision a Reality.
A vision starts with Imagination. Imagine yourself to be the person you want to become. If you cannot imagine yourself as being what you wish to be, then you will never be able to become what you desire for yourself. So imagine that you can be what you want to achieve and have faith that you can make your dreams come true.
Awareness. Identify your shortcomings and embark on a program to develop yourself. If you need help with this contact the person who sponsored you or someone in your upline.
Responsibility: Take control of your life and help yourself grow.
Objective. Have a definite goal you wish to reach as part of your vision i.e. the number of people you want to sponsor within the first month of becoming a Network Marketer and each month thereafter. Have a monthly goal and then a goal for six months and then one year.
You should also review and if necessary revise your objectives every six months with the help of your sponsor.
Plan of Action: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. But you will not reach your destination if you miss any of the steps along the way. If you do, you may have to retrace your steps. So identify what you must do each day to reach the goals each week. If you do these daily activities, this will help you to reach your weekly targets. If you reach your weekly targets you will certainly reach your monthly goals. Your daily/weekly activity should include self-help programs such as listening to motivational tapes and other self-improvement tapes. You should also have alternative plans and be prepared to make changes as needed.
Sustained effort: Do not become discouraged. Expect obstacles and disappointments. Continue to work with enthusiasm every day to execute the plan you have set in motion. Your enthusiasm will motivate others and help fulfill your Vision and theirs.
Commitment: Resolve to continue to work effectively and diligently till you reach your goal. You do not fail till you quit. And you cannot succeed without commitment.
Wow doesn't that look complicated. I can tell you that it isn't. Each of us is living our vision every day. You are what you are today because of the particular vision you have for yourself and you are fulfilling your vision every day. If the vision you have for yourself is to get up in the morning and get ready for work, then that is exactly what you will experience. You cannot do anything without a Vision.
Most of us are not even conscious that we are fulfilling our Vision for ourselves each and every day. For instance, even in the simple daily tasks that you perform you are unconsciously fulfilling your vision. Our purpose is to help you recognize that you are living your vision and that vision is real. Once seen, this vision gains greater clarity and develops a life of it's own unless you change it. To change your vision, you must understand the Seven Principles that make up a Vision and how to apply them. For example you know that for the past few years, many teams of balloonists have been trying to go non-stop around the world in a balloon. All the teams of balloonists have tried and failed. During the week of Christmas this year, one team almost made it. However, almost does not count. So the teams that have failed have not given up. What is it that makes them keep going in spite of the expensive and life threatening adventure? Is it the million-dollar prize that has been offered to the successful team? Hardly. It is costing most of them much more than million dollars to make the trip. What keeps them going is their Vision. They have not lost sight of their goal. The goal is to circle our world, non-stop in a balloon. To reach their goal, they are implementing all the Seven Principles of a Successful Vision that we discussed earlier namely:
Imagination: The balloonists imagine that they will be able to circle the globe non-stop even though it has never been done before. They would not even begin if they imagined that they could not succeed.
Awareness: They are aware that it is a very daunting and dangerous task.
Responsibility: They are willing to take charge of the task at hand and do not blame anyone for the risk they are taking and the costs involved.
Objective: They have a clearly defined objective i.e. to circle the globe nonstop in a balloon.
Plan of Action: They have a definite Plan of Action.
Sustained effort: They continue to strive inspite of repeated failures.
Commitment: To succeed they know that they have to continue to strive till they accomplish their goal.
NASA to put man on the moon and return him safely to earth also used these Seven Principles of Success. Once you understand how the Seven Principles of Vision operate, you will soon realize that you are in fact implementing these Seven Principles of Vision even when you do the simplest tasks of daily living such as making a cup of coffee or going to the grocery store. For instance, if you imagined and were convinced that your coffee maker was broken, would you even begin to use it to make a pot of coffee. Of course not. Likewise if you imagined that the grocery store was closed, would you even attempt to go there? Of course not. because these are routine activities you do not think of them as being part of your Vision.
IMAGINATION CREATES THE POSSIBILITY FOR SUCCESS. All successful endeavors begin with IMAGINATION. THE ENGINEERS AT NASA IMAGINED THAT THEY COULD SEND A MAN TO THE MOON AND RETURN HIM SAFELY TO EARTH. BUT IMAGINATION BY ITSELF WILL NOT MAKE YOU SUCCEED. YOU MUST ALSO IMPLEMENT THE REMAINING SIX STEPS THAT MAKE UP A VISION.
If you miss any of the Seven Steps that we have shared, you will not be able to fulfill your vision.
· Vision without Action is merely a dream
· Action without Vision fails due to lack of direction
· Vision with Action can change the world.
To succeed in your business, you need to develop your own Vision.
So before you do anything, the first thing that you need to do is to develop a Vision for your Business and put it in writing. Write it down. It may seem silly but it isn't. Writing down your Vision, forces you to crystallize it. After you have committed your Vision in writing, which includes your daily activity, weekly goals etc. store it in a safe place and refer to it from time to time. You are now ready to take the ACTION necessary to build your Network Marketing business.
I wonder how many of you know who invented the game of Chess. Legend has it that the game of Chess was invented in India by a Hindu Priest. A Hindu Priest is called a Brahmin and like most priests all over the world, he was quite poor. The Brahmin decided to show the game of Chess to his King. The King was very pleased with the game and asked the Brahmin to name his price. The shrewd Brahmin replied, "Your highness, your pleasure is my reward." This pleased the King even more and the King now insisted that the Brahmin must name his price. So the Brahmin told the King, "Since you insist my Lord, all I want is some rice to feed my family." The King asked, "How much rice do you want". The Brahmin pointed to the Board of Chess. On a Chess Board, there are sixty-four squares. So the Brahmin told the King, "All I want you to do Sir is place one grain of rice in the first square, then double it and place two in the second square and then four in the third square and then 8 grains in the fourth square and then go on doubling the grains of rice till you reach the last square. Then if you will give me all the grains of rice that add up in this manner, I will be most grateful".
Without thinking, the King asked, "Is that all"? The Brahmin smiled and replied. That is all my Lord. Done said the King. The King did not realize what he had committed to. If you will take the time to calculate the amount of rice that adds up, you will find out that all the World does not produce that much grain in one year.
This story illustrates a very important point. In Network Marketing your growth is multiplied as you sponsor people who in turn sponsor others. The process may seem slow at first. At the beginning, it may look too slow to make it worthwhile. However, if you stick with it, the growth will be explosive.
You may be surprised to learn that if you double a penny every day for 30 days, you will have a total of more than 10 million dollars. Multiply one penny by 2. Then 2 pennies by 2. Then four pennies by 2 and so on for thirty days and you will be surprised at the explosive growth this process allows.
The one thing that you need to guard against is lack of activity. You must be out there talking to people and do not get discouraged. There will be a lot of people who will discourage you. Do not let them. There are hundreds of reasons why NASA couldn't have successfully reached the moon. NASA succeeded because they didn't pay attention to the hundreds of reasons why they could have failed. They were doing something no one had done before. You are doing something hundreds of people are doing successfully.
Should you need help developing your own Vision, call the person who sponsored you. They will help you get started. Remember; in Network Marketing you are not alone. We are ready and willing to support you. But in order to succeed you must be willing to receive. Remember you need to practice the three Principles vital for success: You need to practice
· Humility to Receive
· Discipline to Achieve and
· Commitment to fulfill.
Now that we have shared with you what you need to do to get started, I would like to share with you the 10 most important two letter words in English,
"IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME"
Remember NO ONE can make YOUR VISION come true. Only YOU CAN. So follow the Seven Steps that will make your Vision a reality. Get started now.
Bahram R. Shahmardaan, PhD
Author: The Journey of Life Eternal
Love and Hate: Manifesting Love and Transforming Hate.
