I can read a book like As A Man Thinketh, return it to my bookshelf, then come back a year later to read it again—and it feels like somebody sneaked into my room while I was sleeping and completely rewrote the book! Why? Because of the learning by doing I’ve gone through in the interim.

My experiences have changed my perspective. Now, when I read a particular passage or point the author makes, I understand it in a way I could not have possibly seen a year ago. And that in turn informs my behavior; now, when I go to engage in my activity of the next day, I can apply what I’ve learned from James Allen in a way that I would not have thought of even twenty-four hours ago.

Book smarts, street smarts. Learning by study, learning by doing. Read about it, apply it, see it in action; take that practical experience back to my reading, deepen my understanding, take that deeper understanding back to my activity…it’s a never-ending cycle, each aspect of learning feeding the other. Like climbing a ladder: right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot.

Can you imagine trying to climb a ladder with only your right foot? The two work together. What’s more, they not only work better together, each amplifying the other, but the truth is, they really cannot work separately. At least not for long.

You can’t go to the top based purely on knowledge learned in study; you can’t go to the top purely through knowledge gleaned through action. The two have to work together. You study, and then you do activity.

The activity changes your frame of reference, and now you are in a place where you can learn more. Then you learn more, and it gives you more insight into what you experienced in your activity, so now you re-approach activity with more insight. And back and forth, it goes.

This back-and-forth rhythm is worth noting. It is the rhythm of success. This learning-and-doing sense of rhythm is something you learned even before you learned to walk, and it’s even more basic.

Psychologists have found crawling is one of the most important activities we ever accomplish, because it profoundly affects the brain and its capacity to learn. The right-hand-left-leg, left-hand-right-leg rhythm of alternation acts upon our nervous system like the surf upon the coastline, developing it, shaping it, and preparing it for all sorts of more sophisticated levels of learning and awareness later in life.

You’ve heard the expression, “Before you can walk, you have to crawl.” There is more profound truth to this than most of us ever realized. That alternating rhythm, and your capacity to coordinate the behavior of opposites, is a critical Slight Edge skill.

Remember, you can’t go to the top based purely on knowledge learned in study; you can’t go to the top purely through knowledge gleaned through action. The two must work together. It is the rhythm of success….

Create your success,
Jeff

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If you’ve been in Network Marketing or direct sales for any length of time, or if you’ve had the opportunity of attending seminars from the likes of Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, or others, you have more than likely heard the old adage, “You need to work harder on you than you do in your job or occupation.” Better yet, “In order to earn more, you must become more.”

Sounds good, seems logical, but what does it all really mean? How can we put this into practical application in our Network Marketing careers, and our lives in general?

I thought long and hard about this subject of “working harder on you, than you do in your career”. I call the concept of focusing on personal betterment, the “YOU” Factor. In everyday life, and in every waking moment of our Network Marketing business, the “YOU” Factor comes into play, and plays a vital role in our overall success.

If we stretch ourselves beyond our normal limitations, we can do more, produce more, and earn more. Why?? Simply because we ARE more.

Professional athletes are constantly stretching themselves (sometimes literally) beyond their limitations. Free Divers, those that dive to depths of several hundred feet beneath the sea surface with one breath and no oxygen tank, stretch themselves far beyond the limitations of most human beings. Professional gymnasts quite literally stretch themselves, and are able to contort their bodies into positions most of us have never thought possible.

In order to achieve greatness from anything in life, we must STRETCH ourselves beyond what we would normally believe as possible. What seemed so far away two weeks ago is far more achievable today, IF you constantly press yourself beyond your “comfort zones”.

To achieve greatness in a Network Marketing business, we must focus on activities that stretch ourselves beyond average. In fact, most successful people are that way simply because they force themselves to do what most average people are unwilling to do.

THAT is what makes them successful. I was once told that if I wanted to have massive financial success in my life, I must force myself to do that what is uncomfortable. And, once what was uncomfortable became comfortable, I needed to take it to a higher level, and again, force myself outside of my comfort zone in order to reach for higher ground.

Average people, in business, in sports, or in life, do what is comfortable. Above average people are always working OUTSIDE their comfort zones.

Here’s a simple example: Average Joe works a normal 8 to 5 job, where he shows up just before 8, to avoid any repercussions, then leaves promptly at 5pm. He leaves work, picks up a 6-pack and a pack of smokes and travels home. When he arrives, he picks up the remote, drinks his beer, spends no significant time with his spouse or children, and falls asleep on the couch.

On the other hand, Above Average Joe does the following. He gets up extra early to hit the gym. While on the treadmill he reviews his daily goals and then spends time reading Networking Times. After showering and changing into his work attire, he jumps in his car, listens to some sales training techniques on audio, and arrives at work by 7:30am.

He spends 30-minutes planning and preparing for his day. The entire day he is absolutely focused on the tasks at hand, spend no time messing around, and out-produces all of his co-workers. Five o’clock rolls around, but he has some final calls to make, so he ends up leaving around 5:45pm.

He gets home by 6:15pm and has dinner with his family, where he is focused on the importance of the family relationship. He spends some time after dinner talking with his wife and kids, and then retires to his home-office to work his Network Marketing business for the next 2 ½ hours.

This Joe knows that he has to make his time productive, so he is extremely efficient in the use of this time, and spends his part-time effort aggressively recruiting new distributors. At 9:30pm, he joins his wife in bed, where they talk, hug, and kiss. She falls asleep, and he reads Think and Grow Rich before falling asleep at midnight.

Now, what is the difference between Average Joe and Above Average Joe? The answer is obvious. Above Average Joe is stretching himself beyond his limitations, and is doing what Average Joe is unwilling to do.

Folks, here’s the bottom-line. When people are reviewing your opportunity, they look at several elements. The people you want in your business…you know the one’s I’m talking about, those that we dream about, the one’s we count as we are falling asleep at night (Network Marketers don’t count sheep, we count quality individuals dancing over our heads and into our downlines), those with sparkling personalities, self-starters, leaders, great communicators, high in charisma, THESE people do the following: they will review the company, the comp plan, the products and/or services, the management team, the field leadership, the marketing system, the timing, and other important factors. And, do you know the last thing that they review before they join your opportunity??? Three letters…Y.O.U. What do YOU bring to the table? What can YOU offer me as a sponsor? Can I rely on YOU? Are YOU committed to this opportunity? What is so special about YOU, over and above any and all other options I have?

This is precisely why the “YOU” Factor is so critically important.
So, the question is…how can we as Network Marketers stretch ourselves beyond our limitations, force ourselves to do what is uncomfortable, and work on improving the “YOU” Factor.

There are several very important areas where I see a need to focus, specifically with regard to achieving success in Network Marketing. They are as follows: Communications Skills, Industry and Company Knowledge, Work Ethic, Visualization and Goal Achievement (not just setting)

Here are several ways that you can begin to improve your “YOU” Factor:

1. Reading and Listening: Take time to engulf information and flood your mind and spirit with positive information that can help in improving you at all levels. Read books on business, sales, communication, goal setting, and motivation. Instead of listening to the radio, listen to audiotape programs that fill you with knowledge and inspire you. The information you expose your mind to will hit your conscious mind and eventually work it’s way into your subconscious. All great leaders are constantly improving themselves by exposure to this kind of information. Personal development is an integral part of becoming a true MLM Pro.

2. Practicing: Repetition is the mother of learning. You can’t possibly get good at something you don’t practice on a regular basis. Take the time to practice what you do. Practice how you present your business, whether in person, on the phone, or on stage. Don’t just “shoot from the hip”. For those of you who have fear and are lacking in the confidence of presenting your business, this is critical. The only way to get good at anything is by practicing…every day. If it’s a script…practice it, a home presentation…practice it, a follow up call…practice it! Practice does not make perfect…it makes permanent. Remember that and your business will grow.

3. Work Outside of your Comfort Zone: When you feeling like giving up, don’t. When you feel like you’ve made enough calls, make five more. When you don’t feel like working, work. When your favorite TV program is on, turn it off and go to work. If you are finding yourself cleaning your office instead of making calls, clean it after hours, not during prime phone time. Force yourself outside of your comfort zone in everything you do, and you will become more. When you become more, you will deserve to earn more.

4. Sacrifice and Discipline: Treat your business like it cost you a million to get involved. Don’t be an absentee manager. Work your business like it cost you everything you own to get it started. Your attitude towards your business should be “do or die”. Treat is like a hobby and you’ll have a hobby income. Treat it like the million dollar business that it is, and you’ll find yourself earning more than you could ever imagine.

5. The “Mirror” Test: Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Am I doing all that I can, all that I need to be doing to succeed in this business? Am I deadly focused, goal-oriented and taking the necessary action a leader earning $50,000 a month does in his/her business? The “mirror” test, also called a self-check plays a vital role in keeping you on course. Do it regularly, and be honest with yourself. If you’re not on track, let yourself know, and be sure to fix it…quick!

The end result of practicing these simple “You” Factor tasks will show positive results in your business, your personal life, your physical fitness, and your mental aptitude.

Work hard on becoming more. Life is too short to keep yourself confined within your comfort zones.

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Three key words to remember: weigh, count, and measure. Now why weigh, count, and measure? To see what your results are from your activity, your attitude, and your philosophy. Because if you find your results are not to your liking, there are only three places to look: 1) your philosophy needs to be fine-tuned; 2) your attitude needs to be strengthened or 3) your disciplines need extra skill. That’s it! Because activity, attitude, and philosophy create results.

Regarding results remember, life expects you to make measurable progress in reasonable time. You must be reasonable with time. You can’t say to someone every five minutes, how are you doing now? That’s too soon to ask. The guy says “I haven’t left the building yet, give me a break!” Now you can’t wait five years—that’s too long. Many things can go wrong waiting too long for a count to see how you’re doing.

Here are some good time frames: At the end of the day. You can’t let more than a day go by without looking at some things and making progress. The Old Testament says: if you are angry, try to solve it before the sun goes down. Don’t carry anger for another day. It may be too heavy to carry. If you try to carry it for a week, it may drop you to your knees. Some things you must get done in a day.

Here’s the next one—a week. We ask for an accounting of the week so we can issue the pay. And whatever you’ve got coming that’s what you get; when the week is over. Now in business there are two things to check in the course of the week. Your activity count and your productivity count. Because activity leads to productivity we need to count both to see how we’re doing.

My mentor taught me that success is a numbers game and very early he started asking me my numbers. He asked, “How many books have you read in the last ninety days?” I said, “Zero”; he said, “Not a good number.” He asked, “How many classes have you attended in the last six months to improve your skills?” And I said, “Zero.” He said, “Not a good number.” Then he asked, “In the last six years that you’ve been working, how much money have you saved and invested?” I said, “Zero” and he said, “Not a good number.” Then here’s what he said, “Mr. Rohn, if these numbers don’t change, your life won’t change.” But then he said, “If you’ll start improving these numbers then perhaps you’ll start to see everything change for you.”

Because when it comes to success, it’s the numbers that count; making measurable progress in reasonable time. Here’s the best accounting: The accounting you make of yourself. Don’t wait for the government to do it, don’t wait for the company to do it. But you’ve got to add up some of your own numbers and ask, “Am I making the progress I want, and will it take me where I want to go now and in the future?” You be the judge!

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