My Diary: Holiday Plans to Morocco

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My holiday is planned for two weeks time. I am going to Morocco. I fly to London from Aberdeen, then London to Marrakesh. I get very nervous before getting on a plane. I do not enjoy it, but it will be worth it for the few hours so I can go to Morocco. Morocco is not that far from the UK.

It is my first holiday in I don't know how long. I am going with my husband and the plan is to rent a car, see as much as we can as we are only going for eight days. I don't think it will be long enough, but I will be visiting again. My husband is Moroccan so he knows all the good places to see. I am looking forward to spending time with in-laws.

Morocco is a mixture of Arabs, Berbers and Europeans. The country has desert, riads (Moroccan traditional houses), restaurants, hospitable people and great food, I have been told. I can smell the scent of spices in the air already. I am looking forward to hearing the call to prayer.

Training Our Mind For Success

I have just finished a fantastic course by Dave O'Connor. He is a Mindset Expert and Coaches Network Marketers on achieving success. Dave's courses can be applied in any walk of life, not just business but also our personal life.

He discusses how to have healthy and positive habits. This involves setting our goals, being consistent, challenging ourselves all the time, be clear on our vision and what success means to us.

He focuses on using our imagination to think, act and feel as if our dream has already happened. This can be in the form of post dating a cheque on how much we want to earn, write the date, the amount and our name. This will give us a goal of how much we want to earn and work towards. We can visualise where we want to live and use our imagination to feel that it is a reality. On top of this, we have to have a good work ethic and take action every day towards our goals.

We need to take action.  Have our goal in our mind all the time, go into dream mode, plan, structure and have a good routine. We must ensure that our daily activities are working towards what we want and know what we need to do to achieve it. We must link our daily activities to our vision and prioritise our activities of importance. We have to do something that works towards our vision every day.

He discusses the good habit of taking time for ourselves. Although technology is fantastic for our everyday needs, we need to turn it off and take the time to chill. We need to clear our minds, meditation is great for this, keep visualising the end result and get outside and walk in nature. Walking in nature aids relaxation. Have a routine every morning and night to remind us of our goals and vision.

Dave talks about increasing our levels of belief. Say can rather than can't. We need to overcome our limiting beliefs and modify our thoughts before they take hold. Also we have to observe how we talk to ourselves, how to deal with negative people around us and recognise our fears of being laughed at or sounding stupid. If we have a negative thought we need to think about a stop sign and two roads called negative and positive, then decide to travel down the positive road. When we increase our level of belief our doubt goes down. We need to keep connecting with our reason why we are dong things. Mix with people that have the lives that we want which will eventually rub off on us, it also reduces the amount of negativity that surrounds us.

Dave teaches us a state of mind for attracting what we want called the ABC State. A=Appreciation; what is good about our lives, this reduces our stress, frustration and fear. Be thankful for our family members, relationships, friends and clients. B=Bold Enthusiasm; take action when needed, lead by example and keep questioning our comfort zone so we can keep growing. C=Certainty; keep fighting and do not let outside influences affect us.

He talks about our to-do list. We must not get distracted by emails, facebook and messages as it wastes time when we are working on important tasks. Check our social media later and focus on what we want and need to achieve. Redirect our attention if we loose focus. We need to increase our positive to negative ratio to 3:1. It is ideal to be able to do 5:1. Cancel out every negative thought with at least three positive thoughts. Cancel out a negative thought by using the ABC State. Success is about our relationships with people. Eradicate any distractions. It does not mean not check our emails or messages but, not let them break our focus on a task we are doing that takes us towards out goals and vision. Say no to people if we are busy.

Success is about turning obstacles into opportunities. Growing every day is essential. There are going to be turmoils and challenges in our lives but we can progress from difficulties. We can't control how people behave but we can control our own responses. They are opportunities to develop our character. We grow from failure and we must earn our success.

Dave gives us tips on how to overcome fear. Everyone feels fear, but we can overcome it. We must accept where we are now at this present time. We must not judge or criticise ourselves as it takes up so much energy. 9 out of 10 fears never actually happen. Focus on what we want, not what we are frightened of.

What is the pursuit of happiness? We must be responsible for our own emotions. We must avoid spreading negativity by sharing negative posts and moaning about our lives. This starts a following of negativity. We must find fun in the things we do. Laugh and enjoy life, not moan. Joy is connected to a good life. To be successful we need a strong work ethic with the correct mindset. Feel-good chemicals are released when we are happy and joyful and our brains will perform better.

He teaches us how to make the good habits stick. Set up good habits that keep us on the track to success. Every morning we must write down our goals. Write habits in our calendar and take action on the time stated. A good system is to measure habits every day with a rating system on how well we have done. 1 for not at all and 10 for fantastic. Our goals need emotional sensitivity so we must write them down every morning. Have trigger moments for achieving our habits, for example, when the kids go to school, go to the gym or go out for a walk, after you have your shower, write down your goals.

How we deal with negative people is essential to our success. Minimise our time with people who are psychologically draining. Keep a good environment around us. How we think about ourselves is how people treat us. We have to remember that we are in charge of our mind and emotions.

Model the people who have the lifestyle we want. We are brought up as children to be negative. This can be changed, but it does take time. We must value ourselves or no one will value us. Set our mind to abundance and wealth. Disregard the negative opinions of others. We must begin with ourselves and not with our bank accounts. See ourselves as special and meant to live a successful life through money, health and relationships.

At times when we loose our passion, there are steps for us to get it back. Detach from the past and clean up our emotional life. Everywhere we go, we must have a great time. We must keep working on our skills and mindset. We must remember it takes time to achieve success. In any chosen field it takes 10,000 hours to achieve expert level and 5 to 7 years to achieve our highest potential. Everything we do, we must think how this is connecting us to our purpose and that we are going somewhere. Above all, generate energy, excitement, motivate others and be enthusiastic.

Dealing with rejection is essential for us to progress. Most of the things we think are going to happen, never actually do. Our brains have a habit of working out the worst case scenario. Think to ourselves 'awesome' when we get rejected and this will help us keep a positive way of thinking. We must not have expectations for a yes or no, keep an open mind, people will not always say yes straight away. Our fear of being criticised has to be lowered. We must not base the world and our lives on what others think, they are often misguided anyway. There are a lot of people out there that are appreciative. We must believe in ourselves. When we are a leader, become one. Leadership skills can be trained.

When we are a leader we must stick to our vision, be consistent, have courage, move outside our comfort zone, learn how to treat people well, lead by example and even if people quit, continue what we are doing. Above all be honest and direct.

It is important that we learn to put out positive energy. We are able to pick up on other people's emotions and they pick up on ours. Clear communication is essential as we do not know other people's challenges or what is going on in their lives. We should be understanding, helpful and have patience with people. It is not our job to control everybody. Some people are not at the stage where they want to be because they do not have the necessary skills.

In our culture, it is socially acceptable to give our lives away. So we have to learn to be busy, but not rushed and stressed. Stress makes us feel miserable and out of balance. We have to work at a pace we can manage. We must be grateful for what we have and have healthy friendships, relationships and we must get rid of things that do not add value to our lives. 80% of our success comes from the way we think. We spend too much time in our lives on media and gossip. We must have a constructive life in order to be happy and satisfied. Happy experiences in our lives make the difference, they can be relived many times over.

To create good habits we need to break the bad habits. We have to make ourselves aware of the thought patterns that hold us back. We need to say  stop and interrupt any negative thoughts, replace them with positive thoughts and positive actions. We need to reflect on how we have done throughout the day such as; did we focus on what we had to do, did we respect others and show enthusiasm? We must learn to implement this to fight against what we are taught culturally. Put fun into daily activities and create good habits so they become routine.

Dave gives good advice on how to deal with a day that is not going well. We have to think back to the reasons why we are doing the things we are doing. We have to focus on the key activities for the day. We must take time out for ourselves and do something that makes us feel good. We must keep thinking to ourselves that life wants us to be successful and that we will live an abundant life. The day must not be left to chance, plan out the ideal day. Solve problems with calmness and peace.

We must not loose sight of our vision and must always work towards it. There are challenges in life, so we must use our challenges to our advantage. When we move out of our comfort zone, it feels uncomfortable so we must stay with the task until it becomes comfortable. Keeping the momentum going is essential for success. The more action we take, the more progress we will make. Following the example of successful people will get us success. We must keep acquiring skills and even once we have achieved one set of skills we need to keep growing.

Dave's teaching throughout the course is fantastic. For anyone interested in personal development reading his books and attending his courses are essential for learning the necessary skills. These skills not only apply to business but also to everyday life and relationships.

"Dave O'connor - Mindset Mastery - Timeline | Facebook". Facebook.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2016.

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Skills For Success!

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Dani Johnson is a woman who has been through so much, yet she has become highly successful in building a business. She has taught me so many useful tips, not only for my business but for use in my daily life.


1  It is important for us to realise that we should not wait for the perfect circumstances to start working towards our achievements and what we want. If we do, we will miss the chance. We should not make excuses for finding a way forward.

I started my business because I was working in a school playing piano. When that position was not required, I had to look for an alternative. As I did not want to go back into a 9 to 5 job, I came across a Network Marketing opportunity. It seemed right for me as it was flexible, I could work my own hours and it was a business which I preferred to do rather than work in paid employment.

2  Dani teaches that if we want to be successful, we have to follow people that have the lifestyle that we want and do what they do. We have to commit and be prepared to work for it. We need patience, training and a vision of what we want to achieve. Investing in our education is very important. Network Marketing is a very people orientated business.

I knew I would get the support I needed to build my business. I was prepared to be patient, after all, it took time for me to learn piano and flute in order to teach, so I knew I would need to learn how to do this business. I need to read the correct material to expand my knowledge.

3  Taking the advice of successful people is essential. We have to put into practice what we learn and keep learning. Make the decision we are going to do this despite what others say.

I need to mix with successful people. In this business I need to learn, it is essential for success so I need to attend my training.

4  We must always be open minded or we will never grow. When we have had bad experiences, it should not prevent us from choosing to do something to improve our lives. Take the risk, there is no security in anything and we never know when things will work out. We need to learn professional skills to become a professional. High effort brings high results, low effort brings low results. There is a chance that things will not work out, but if we do not try, they will definitely not.

This is something that I need to work on. I need to work towards trying new things. They do not need to be major changes to start, as long as it is something that works towards what I want to achieve. I am not the best at taking risks. I am always afraid of the consequences, however, if I do not take any chances, I will not grow. Risks do not have to be major, I can take it a small step at a time. I need to step out of my comfort zone in order to progress.

5  When we are a leader, we need to create system dependent people, not co-dependent people. Let our team members step-up and take action, we should not do it all ourselves. Delegate to others as team members have to build their own independent business. They have to be shown how to take care of themselves and find things out themselves.

I need to work on teaching my team members to be independent. If I guide my team members in the right direction, towards training and support, they will be able to build their own business.

6  If we want to make more money with less stress, we have to go into things with enough skill, wisdom and belief to be successful. If we sit on the fence, we will never succeed. We all have lots of areas where we have wasted money and time through bad choices. Risk takers are the ones that make history, spending time on things that are fruitful and do not care what others think. Get on with what we have to do and get the job done with results. The higher our skills, the more we will be paid. Do not worry about rejection, just think to ourselves that not everyone will say no.

Keeping on top of my personal development is essential so I keep learning new skills and how to deal with building a business.

7  When talking to people, it is important that we understand it is how we say things not what we say. People can sense facial expressions over the phone. If we are smiling, it does show in the way we speak. If we are confident, this will be communicated to the listener. However, if we are frustrated, doubtful, anxious or nervous, this will be communicated to the listener. We have to correct our non-verbal communication.

If I keep confident on the phone, the listener will feel confident about the opportunity. My confidence will give them belief in the business.

8  Dani teaches us that our skills can never be taken from us. The more skills we have, the more money we will make. Improve ourselves from our experiences. When we do not succeed after being discouraged or frustrated, we must think of a number of factors to improve such as; thinking in the long term, unconditional commitment, build our skills, have belief, spend time with successful people, be teachable, listen to others who give us good advice, focus on our goals, work hard and above all, not to wait for the perfect circumstances and work with what we have. When it comes to earning money, we are paid for our value. Our value is our skills. Developing people skills are important. Any business or occupation will not grow outwith our skill level. We do not want to be high maintenance to our employers, otherwise we will be first in line for redundancy or loss of our job. Skills breed confidence and excuses come from fear and fear comes from the unknown.

My skills are essential for my success. I am spending a lot of time researching my strengths and weaknesses through personal development so I will become a better person.

9  We have to have belief that we are going to reach our goals. We cannot rob ourselves of opportunities because we make excuses. Come out of the whining attitude and learn to win. Many people fail because they have the attitude that they want something for nothing and are not prepared to work for what they want. We must put in effort to get the results that we want. The important thing is to follow directions. Success is not possible through cutting corners. Count on ourselves to be responsible to achieve the future we want.

I have been guilty in the past of making excuses and talking myself out of doing a task. I need to work towards the things I want and have faith that they will happen.

10  Keep life simple and remove things that make our lives complicated. What we feed will grow so it is important that we feed our activity and starve our doubts and anxieties. Focus on results. We never know when our lives are going to turn out for the best or turn out for the worst, but we can put ourselves in the position that our lives will get better. A fact of life is we duplicate what we give out. If we are negative, we will duplicate negativity. If we increase our skills and learn as much as possible, we will better ourselves.

I have put my goals on my vision board and put it in the hall where I can see it every day. This will help feed my activity and give me something to work towards.

11  Discouragement and disappointment builds our character. It is about how we react to things whether we are successful or not. We have to copy successful people and what they have done to become successful. We must never quit. We all have strengths and weaknesses but it is about having the belief to succeed. What has happened in our past does not have to equal our future, we can change things for the better. Success comes from trusting in ourselves, having a good work ethic and persistence. Make a commitment, drop that ego and be teachable.

I have to learn that when things go wrong it is character building. I am very good at consistency so I will not quit when things get tough. If I have a positive outlook when things go wrong, I will recover and get back on track.

Dani has done many courses throughout the US and she has a selection of books that can be purchased in order to better our skills in work and life.

"Quick Start – 30 Day Boot Camp". Smarter Networker. N.p., 2005. Web. 20 Aug. 2016.

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Selling Success

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In order to be successful, I need to adopt a certain way of thinking. If I am not able to work to the success guidelines, it will be very difficult to achieve my goals and have a successful business. Over the last 4 years in my business, my income has plateaued. My income has not fallen, however it has not grown either. I want my business to grow. I do not know anyone who would not love to benefit from the perks that a growing vibrant business can bring. The feeling of accomplishment and being able to provide for my family with no worries. The lack of growth in my business is due to not doing enough of the right things and making the right choices. It is my fault for this lack of growth as I am 100% responsible for my own choices. If things do not work out, I need to make different choices to follow the right path.

I must think to myself why I started a business. I started a network marketing business so I could earn some extra money as I needed to top up my income. I also joined because I like the products. They have great potential to sell. Having a good reason is what will give me the motivation to work. During the first few years of retailing, I started to look at the bigger picture. I discovered what I could actually achieve in this business and it was far greater than just earning some extra money. The harder I work and the more I do, will provide results that are far greater than if I give a little. The less I give, the less I will get back, after all it is a numbers game.

The ability to handle rejection is a very important quality. Everyone will not be interested in my product and my opportunity, it is normal and part of the business building process. I have to go into this wholehearted because if I do not, I will not be able to maintain enthusiasm and momentum.

I have to build my customer base in order to show others how to build their customer base, as well as making a profit. At the end of the day, how can I show someone how to do something I cannot do myself? I cannot show someone how to play a musical instrument that I cannot play, so the same applies here. Others have to follow me, I must believe in my product or I will not be able to make sales. It is also important to not prejudge customers and potential sponsors as it is not possible to know who will buy my products or join my business.

There were also times when I started, I felt like giving up. This was particularly apparent on rainy days when I had to go out to pick up catalogues, I hated the thought of getting wet. However when the summer came along and the weather was better, I enjoyed the walk in the sun. The key is to not give up, because everything I do will have good days and bad days.

Results come with work and do not always come straight away. I need to think to myself that it takes time to build a successful business. I want to build a self sustaining income that can be done whether I am there or not. I need to understand that I have to invest a lot of time and effort as commitment is crucial in the first few years. This is something I am going to stick to because far too many people quit early and never get to the stage of reaping the rewards that this business can bring. At the time I started, I did not have any large sums of money to invest in setting up a business, so network marketing was the option I had. I know that I must invest time to build this business. When it comes to sponsoring, some people leave and some people stay so I have to remain focused and my business will grow. Keeping the momentum going during the bad times is essential as I will loose customers due to people moving, but at the same time I will gain new ones. I have a strong desire to build this business and make it work. It is all about consistency after all. Success and persistence goes hand in hand. The biggest investment is time and instant gratification is not part of this business.

I have to focus on action and keep out all negativity as it will hold me back. In order that I achieve what I want I need to have more knowledge of how this business works and grasp the basics. I will have to aim for over achievement so I push myself towards what I am aiming for. This is where attitude comes in and in this business it is everything. If others are going to feel positive about it, I must show them. Doubt will ruin my belief and we get to the top through belief and consistency. I need to mix with others to stay positive and review my goals regularly so I am still focused on why I am doing this. The aim is to follow the system by retailing, recruiting, then teaching sponsors to do the same. I have to keep learning and embrace what I am good at and improve on any weak areas. I am very good at consistency, but I need to work on time management, relationships and keeping track of my numbers. When the time comes to work on this full-time, I have to be in the position to match my salary and then go on to double it. This way I will have the income to invest back into my business as well as pay my bills.

Sharing the business by word of mouth and letting everyone know that I have a service to offer them is essential. However, they might not want to buy products or join my business now, but at a later date they might be interested so I have to step back if someone says no, after all it is their right to refuse. Dealing with enquiries on the same day or at least within 24 hours so they do not lose interest and getting information out there so it reaches the right people is needed for growth. I have to keep a good attitude despite rejection as this will keep me motivated. I must remember to follow up all enquiries as I never know who is waiting to hear back from me.

Investing in my business is important. If I invest in it, my business will grow. So I have to use some of my profits to increase my enquiries through advertising which will increase interest in joining the business.

When I run my team, I have to motivate my team members through what they want to achieve out of the business. There are certain qualities to look for in identifying other leaders, these are a positive attitude, uses their own initiative (they can problem solve), thinks of new ideas, building a good customer base, lack of complaints and keep focused on the things that they have to do, will interact with me regularly, takes responsibility, a people person, not afraid to work hard and are honest. I must remember that people need to go at their own pace or they will quit. I need to encourage my team through praise and recognition. Team members have not to be held back if they want to move forward and at the same time if they are pushed too much, they will quit. They will have to be kept up with recent information and be aware of the different events that are on offer. The events are energetic, create team spirit and give fantastic training.

I have to take action, responsibility and initiative. Using these skills shows that I have learned to improve on my personal development. Taking action will in turn go on to give me the results I am looking for even if I have a bad day. I have to focus on keeping the business running because if I become over focused on results this will break my spirit. Looking towards success will give me success, as I can surround myself with positive people which will help me focus on positivity and become the person I want to be to attract new team members and customers.

Leadership is something I have to learn over time through experience and putting into practice. I have to inspire, motivate, try new things, pass information on, accept that people make mistakes, stay positive and to not get distracted. Through this, I will become better, stronger and I will go further.    

 Mistry, Yogeeta. Direct Selling Success, Surrey, PA: Filament Publishing, 2013.

The Professional

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In any business, working our way to the top takes time and effort. In today's world, we have to think about adapting to the new economy. We have to look for new ways to earn money. Change is essential as there are many jobs that are not required to the same extent today. Cashiers in supermarkets are being replaced by machines and call centres are replacing their staff with automated messages. Network Marketing is one way of surviving in today's world, but we have to take responsibility at running our own business and work for what we want.

To aim for success in Network Marketing or any business we have to aim high. We have to learn the skills of success and practise them in order to improve. Learn, learn and learn the skills we require as well as treating it like a profession. If we do this, we will have made a good career choice. Too many people hope for success rather than use their initiative.

The structure of Network Marketing is the same for everyone. It does not matter your sex, age, education or race, the most important factor is ourselves. Our upline introduces and provides the resources we need. It is up to us whether we achieve success. Learning the skills are vital and unfortunately we do not make money for learning the skills, but learning is essential on how much we will go on to earn eventually. The more skills we have, the more we will earn. Take full responsibility, the system is not difficult to learn.

The first step is finding prospects. We have to think of every person, it does not matter their age, if we are close to them, write them down. Second, from this list we must think of any people they know. Third, keep adding to the list, every new person we think of, add them, any new people we meet, add them. Fourth, go out and about, meet new people, add them to our list.

In order to invite prospects to understand the opportunity we have to offer, we have to learn the system and study the successful people. Build relationships and let these successful people educate us on how to be successful. Use tools such as CD's, DVD's, online presentation videos, go to meetings and train to build our knowledge. Build trust with others. This is what we get out of meetings, there is face-to-face interaction. We must invite our prospects to the business through videos, webinars and CD's. The skills in Network Marketing are very simple, we have to get a large group of people to do a few simple things consistently over a period of time. When we are inviting people to the business, it is important that we detach ourselves emotionally from the outcome. Our main goal is to educate them as well as understand them. After all, it is a suggestion to live a better life. Don't focus too much on new customers or distributors, otherwise people will sense that and run away as they will feel pressured into making a decision. An important rule is to be ourselves. People will appreciate that. Be passionate, enthusiastic, have a strong posture, be bold, confident and strong. Keep busy, people are attracted to this and compliment them on their strengths.

When presenting the opportunity, direct the prospect in the right direction and we should not present ourselves as an expert. We are there to provide them with the tools they need as well as bringing a bit of excitement, enthusiasm and belief.

When following up, do what we say we are going to do. In other words, be at appointments at the time we state, be on time as people's time is precious.

When helping potential prospects, the goal is education and understanding. We are helping them make a decision that would change their lives. We are trying to help, not trying to convince them to join. Our belief in the opportunity can benefit them greatly. Have everything that they need to get them off to a good start. When they ask questions, listen to them and help with their problems.

When helping the new distributor get started, guide them through the different steps of the business. Make them aware that it is up to them whether they are successful or not, but that we will work with them to help them succeed. They have to become independent to build their own business to get the results. Promote events and emphasise that there are great benefits in attending.

The important message to learn is that anything really worthwhile is going to take time. We have to improve ourselves and in order to earn more, we have to become more, as it is a learning experience. Study the correct information, as the top people in network marketing are people who read. We should not let anything distract us and if we wish to improve on a certain area we have to do more of it. The best way to learn is to teach it to others. Spend time with people who we want to be like and disconnecting ourselves from people who are negative. This is essential as negative people will prevent us from growing. We have to associate with those that can help us become a better person, that will push us to our goals and inspire us. Working hard and being consistent will give us the success we want.

In the end it will be worth it, we will have created a career with work that is fulfilling. We don't have to compromise, as long as we have done the work we need to do, we can work when we feel like it, get up when we want, we will not have to travel in rush hour traffic and we will be able to spend time with people who are of a great importance in our life such as family and friends. We will be helping others to do the same, we will get to travel and go on trips around the world. This is financial freedom.

Worre, Eric. Go Pro, 2013, Print.

Managing My Time

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What am I going to do tomorrow? This is what I have to say to myself every evening before I go to sleep. Unfortunately for me, I do not think to myself what I need to do tomorrow. I get up in the morning, hope that I will remember everything I need to do that day and as a result I forget important items off my list. In order for my dreams to come true and be able to achieve my goals, I must get into the habit of planning my time so my week is more productive.

To accomplish this, I need to make time for the things that must be done. I can write a to-do list before going to sleep and the items I need to do the next day need to be numbered. I must prioritise the items that are important, discipline myself to stick to them and I must remember there are some things I will not get done. If I use my to-do list, any items that do not need to be done on that day can be carried over and completed the next. Items that are urgent and important must be done before items that are not urgent but important. Urgent items but not important can be delegated and if the item is not important and not urgent it can be left as it is just going to waste time.

The next stage in my plan is deciding which items fit into which categories. The activities that produce income are items that have to be done on that particular day. Important and urgent for me is the distribution of catalogues, posting to my groups and delivering products to customers. Keeping on top of my leads and making sure that they receive the necessary information so they are exposed to the business. Attending my training webinars and regular contact with my upline will help me build my business. Giving advice to my sponsors when they need it and keeping on top of my personal development. Taking the time to teach my music students is another important item on my list as this cannot be delegated to anyone else and I must also remember to add any appointments and commitments with my son. Items that are important but not urgent are duties around the house. These need to be done, but they can be carried over to the next day.

Without a structured plan everyday, I will not be able to do the necessary work to achieve my goals. From now on, I will finish each day by writing what I have to achieve the following day.

Rider, K. (2016) "Planning Your Time", You Tube, https://youtu.be/0rORfcwSz1M, accessed January 2017.

My blog so far

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Well, I have my blog up and running now.

It has been a lot of hard work reading and researching into different areas of personal development. Personal development benefits every area of our life, not just business. We grow in our relationships with people and build our confidence. We focus on what is important and do not waste time on tasks that are not constructive. Our general outlook on life is better.

I find I am much more enthusiastic and the time I spend on worrying and feeling sorry for myself has been greatly reduced. Changing my way of thinking will take time, it is a gradual process. I think we are all guilty of looking for a magic cure to solve our problems, but life is about taking action and working towards taking responsibility for our own lives.

I plan to write more of my own opinions and experiences as well as continuing to research and learn. Every time something negative happens, I am going to think about what I have learned for inspiration and how to deal with the problem. Over the next year, I am going to complete some courses from a variety of motivational speakers that contain videos, meditation and exercises.

I hope that everyone who reads my blog enjoys it and I hope I provide them with some valuable information to help with their lives.

How To Develop Myself

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Are we or our business moving forward to where we want to be?  If not, we most likely need to start our journey in Personal Development.

For me, I lack confidence in myself, sometimes lack motivation and don't always know where I am going. The hardest thing for me is to think positively and to believe in myself.

I think we are naturally programmed to be negative. Our media is full of negativity and gives us negative views of the world around us. We have to be careful what we listen to and not contaminate our minds. Our failures in our lives often cloud our judgement and we often believe bad things about ourselves to be true when they are not.

In order to be successful, I need to learn to drop all that unnecessary baggage I have been carrying since childhood and change the way I think. After all, this doom and gloom is just thoughts and problems in the world should not need to impact on my life and well-being. Problems will be there whether I worry about them or not, so it is best if I focus on the positive. I need to filter out the bad with good and make steps in creating a good future.

To progress forward in my life, I first need to change how I think. A good starting place is to focus on all the good achievements I have accomplished in my life. So, I must focus on my Teaching Diploma in piano and flute, completing my Open Degree and the building blocks in starting my business. I need to be able to learn from failures and act on where I have gone wrong so I don't make the same mistakes again. I need to rouse that feeling of excitement to impact on where I want to be.

Reading positive material is the next step. There are many Personal Development books out there that will improve areas of my life such as self image, good knowledge of business, how to feel good, how to manage money so I am not spending more than I earn, relationships, how to deal with people and how I feel about myself spiritually. I also need to take action on what I learn because this will increase my confidence. I have been searching on Kindle, Amazon and Google for a good selection of books.

Listening to others who have been in my position and gone on to succeed will be a fantastic support system for me. They will be able to help me with any areas I am struggling and guide me through. I need to start listening to the advice I am given from my upline as she will guide me in the correct way. Seeking knowledge will help me drop all the unnecessary baggage to help me move forward. Attending good seminars with experienced people such as Tony Robbins will inspire me greatly. One of my goals for the year will be to attend some training sessions on how to build my business. When I see how much I can get out of advice from others and how successful I can become, it will move me forward faster than I imagined.

Rider, K. (2014) "Step 2 - Personal Development", You Tube, https://youtu.be/o9HDu8ogegg, accessed January 2017.

Rider, K  (2014) "Personal Development", You Tube, https://youtu.be/K32co10IWLU, accessed January 2017.  

How Far Do We Want To Go?

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What are goals?  What is their purpose?  What do we want for the future?

Goals are achievements that keep us on track to focus and motivate in whatever we are doing. They come in many forms such as buying a new car, a new house, or a holiday destination we have longed to visit.

Having goals builds confidence. They can be short term or long term. Short term goals are a good starting point for building up towards achieving long term goals. When we reach our goal it gives a great sense of achievement that we have accomplished something wonderful in our life. Our skills and abilities are improved and our dream becomes a reality. If we do not have any goals in life, we will amble along with no targets, focus or direction.

When setting our goals, we must ask ourselves the reason why we want these goals, so we must be specific. Think of how many goals we want to set and how much time and money we need to achieve them. We need to think if we are able to achieve them and most of all it has to be our goal and something we really want. When we have thought about what we want, we must set a time on when to complete the goal.

We have to truly believe in our goals, so the best way is to make a list and pick 3. Write a detailed paragraph describing it in detail. We can even include the sounds and smells to make it more real. This could be if we want a house by the sea, we could include the smell of the fresh air and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. We can also map out how we are going to achieve the goal. This can be a plan consisting of the activities needed so it can be accomplished.

Finally, anticipate any problems and how we are going to overcome them. We need to keep focused and driven towards our goals by asking if we need help and make any changes we need to keep moving forward.

It is very important to SET OUR GOALS!

Boardman, K. (2015) "Goal setting", You Tube, https://youtu.be/1piG7AYEqBw, accessed December 2016.

The Importance of Meetings

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My first meeting was a wonderful experience.  It has taken me so long to understand the importance of attending meetings when we are building a business in Network Marketing and any business, group or organisation.

The first thing I noticed was the friendly and warm atmosphere. It was like a family and I did not feel isolated.  I was made to feel part of the team as everyone gave each other support. I met friends that I have known for years online through attending webinars, but never met them face to face. It was lovely to be in such a positive environment when the world around us is so negative.

It was also a lovely chance to have a short break and get away. I had to travel to Bolton to the meeting, but I visited a new city I have never visited before. I am looking forward to attending my next meeting and meeting more new faces.

When we attend meetings, we learn new ideas how to run our business by talking to others. We also keep up to date with the latest information. We get hands on support because we can ask questions. When we attend the webinars (which are meetings done online using conferencing suites), we can ask questions, but it is very one-way because it is more difficult to raise a concern online than it is in person. When we speak to someone in person it is more two-way support due to the more intimate contact. Meeting people face to face gives us a better idea what they are like as a person due to the use of body language and mannerisms. This builds stronger relationships. All the successful people attend meetings and it is important to mix with the successful people so we can learn from them. We can all share each others ideas, share important information, raise any concerns, help each other with problems, support each other in our aspirations, get new goal ideas and gain inspiration in order to be more motivated. Future plans can be organised at a meeting and the opinions of everyone can be taken into account. Meetings can also be a wonderful social event for everyone involved.    

The Concept of Building a Team

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I never understood the concept of building a team and making a lot of money in a Network Marketing Business. I was always told, it is good to have 3 good people to start making a good income. I could not understand how this worked, or what this meant.

The more we have in our team the better, but we do not have to worry about large amounts of people initially, we can still build a successful business with a good income. This is the reality of Network Marketing. It is about helping others become successful with what we have learned and done ourselves.

The main aim is to sponsor into the business 2 or 3 'good' people and help them get off to a good start. When these team members have started to work their business, they can bring 2 or 3 people into their business and so on. The scenario with 2 good team members gives an idea of how many new people would be coming into the business and it goes something like this; 2 x 2=4, 2 team members bring in 2 people each, that increases the team by 4. When these team members go on to build their teams and bring in 2 people, it increases the team by; 4 x 2=8, then another 8 x 2= 16. With 3 good team members it looks like this; 3 x 3=9 when 3 people bring in 3 team members each, 9 x 3 =27, 27 x 3=81. Then having 4 good team members in the business, it increases the team by; 4 x 4=16, 16 x 4=64, 64 x 4=256. When we speak about 'good', these are people that are serious about building a business. Obviously, the numbers will vary in reality, but it gives a good idea what can happen when we decide to pursue the team building side of the business. We might have 2 team members and one of them brings in 1 person and the other brings in 4. Some team members might not want to do any team building and the other might want to do a lot, it depends. However, we must remember that everyone is valuable in a team, no matter how much or little they do.

In order for sales to generate we need customers to buy the products.  If our 2 team members have 50 customers each, that would be an increase of; 2 x 50=100 customers buying products. If their team members also have 50 customers it would be an increase of another; 4 x 50=200 customers, then 8 x 50=400, then 16 x 50=800 customers. The more customers each team member has, the larger the amount of customers and sales generated in the team as a whole. So we can imagine a team of 10 people having 200 customers each; 10 x 200= 2,000 customers. If the average purchases of these customers is £10 each per month; £10 x 2,000= £20,000. The team of 10 would have generated on average £20,000 of sales in the month. It is about having a lot of people doing a little bit. We can then understand, the larger the team, the larger amount of sales that is being generated. This is what makes an income in Network Marketing gradually grow. The more team members, the more customers. The more customers, the more sales generated.

However, it is difficult to teach lots of people directly under us. We want to work with the workers.  It is much easier to supervise 5 people rather than 100. So, the aim is for our team to build their own teams and for them to teach their team members and so on. This is what builds the residual income in Network Marketing. If we have large amounts of people to supervise, we can always ask other people in the business to help us. It is a business about help, support and teamwork.

The idea of Network Marketing is to start with small amounts, then build. Over time, these small amounts build into large amounts.

Failla, Don and Joe Hardwick. The 45 Second Presentation That Will Change Your Life, (Chapter 2), [Bloomington, IN]: 1st Books Library, 2000. Print.  

The Network Marketing Opportunity

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There are many benefits to starting a business in network marketing. We have nothing to loose. Paying a small fee to start is nothing compared to the thousands we would pay out to start a traditional business. Sticking to the system is the way to make money. We will make our money back we paid to start up and more in the first month if we do this. This is an area where many people fail, they do not stick to the system.

Working in a 9 to 5 job is not something I have the intention of doing for the rest of my life. I want to be in control of my own future. Working in a home based business is something I am interested in pursuing.

I find the difference between my network marketing business and earning money through teaching is I am limited to how much money I can earn in a certain time. I love my teaching and I am going to continue that path. However, I also want to pursue another avenue. With network marketing, I will be able to increase my income without increasing my hours. I do not have to rely on others to pay me a wage or pay invoices, what I earn depends on me. With teaching, I have unpaid invoices where I have lost money. When working in network marketing, if a customer does not want a product, I just return it and I get my account credited.  I have to spend time searching for the right people to join my business and when I do, it is worth the effort.

Success depends on me. Network marketing is a great way to be in control of my own life and money. It is flexible hours, so I work the hours I choose and over time my income will gradually increase. I can work the business around a family and have more time for them.

Everyone starts at the same place. I do not expect immediate success, it takes time and patience. I have to work through the ups and downs, stick to it and I will be successful. When it does not work, many people think it is the business or the system. The truth is, I need to work on myself. If I work on improving myself, such as my strengths and weaknesses, my business will improve along with me. Changing from one network marketing company to another is not the answer. Change company and not myself, I will continue to fail wherever I go. This is why personal development is so important. When I work on myself, I will be able to help others build a business, this is an important ingredient in team building.

Most people start network marketing alongside a full-time job. They start part-time and build their business enough to leave their job. Others start without any other income and work the business full-time. Some people choose to stick to the retailing side only and not go on to do team building. However, I want to build a large income and business, so I have to consider the team building as there are only so many hours in the day to do retail. There is no right or wrong way, it is up to me what I wish to do with the business.

Working in network marketing has many social events. I have made new friends and have the chance to go on trips paid by the company provided I do the work.

Network marketing is a great opportunity, but I must work for it. I need to build a stable business and I will reap the rewards in the end. My customers have to trust me. I have to build honest relationships with them. I will be positive and be myself. If I see the bigger picture and the opportunities, I will build myself a fantastic future.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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The friends we choose reflects the sort of person we are. If we spend time with negative people, we will be negative. If we spend time with positive people, we will be positive. It is important to think about the consequences of spending time with certain people. Toxic people are always dwelling on the negative and will emphasise all the things we can't do as well as refusing to find ways to solve problems. On the other hand, positive people are supportive, lift our spirits and make us feel happy. When we spend time with them, they will make us feel inspired, supported and enthusiastic. If we hear something often enough, we will believe it, so it is best to listen to positive comments and feedback. This does not mean to put people out of our lives that are close to us such as relatives or close friends. It is about keeping in mind the information that we get from them does not affect our well-being. Spend less time with people that do not encourage us and spend more time with people that will teach us how to be successful, how to be positive, that make us feel good and help us.

The best way to develop ourselves is by doing things we are afraid to do. Fears are the challenges that stand in front of our personal growth. It is easier to back away from doing the things that we are frightened of because it relieves the fear and anxiety we feel going through with the task. However, we pay a heavy price from backing out of fears as we sabotage any chances of success, we will feel frustrated and our life will be very dull and boring. Keeping a positive attitude helps us follow through with our fears and fears will die if we confront them.

Success is only impossible when we quit. It is achieved through a step by step process, a little bit at a time. We should not think of giving up and learn to be committed. We must educate ourselves through reading books and talking to successful people. We need to prepare for failure as most people experience failure before success, they learn from their failures . This will encourage us to grow.

To be successful in life, we need to have a positive and enthusiastic attitude. Being involved with others and be a 'giver' not always a 'taker'. Listen to what others have to say about their dreams, their aspirations and offer support and encouragement. Treat everyone as being important, treat them with dignity and respect, go beyond our comfort zone, ask for help and congratulate others on their accomplishments.

Following these points will be the start to a successful future.

Keller, J. (2012). Attitude is everything. (Part 3), East Norwich, NY: Attitude is Everything, Inc.

Personal Development: Review

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During my time working on personal development, I have noticed myself with a more positive, productive mindset and I am aware of the areas I need to improve.

I have learned what I am looking for out of life and the path I need to take to achieve my vision of financial freedom. I have to create different goals to achieve what I want and keep reworking them.

It is important to use my mind to enhance my expectations, my belief on what life will be like once I have achieved my vision and realising the power that the subconscious mind has over my thoughts. Through daily mental rehearsal, I can achieve a clear picture of how it will feel to have achieved the end result of my vision.

I have learned that taking action is important in achieving and using all my energy on important tasks. If I do not stay focused, it is easy to get distracted and fall into the trap of not doing the tasks I need to do. Generating more positive thoughts rather than negative thoughts will balance my life towards a more positive outlook. If I have more negative thoughts, I will have a more negative view of life. If I have more positive thoughts, I will have a more positive view of life. It is important that I focus on this to have a more positive balance.

Belief and how I talk to myself plays an important part in success. It is so easy to talk myself out of something. I have been doing this for years. Believing in myself and removing all those negative thoughts from the past is the step towards empowerment. How I view myself is what will give me a richer life. The most important ingredient for a richer life is my self-image and being really happy with who I am. I have learned that thoughts are just thoughts and I have to educate myself to not let them control my life. Negative things that were said to me in the past do not need to rule my mind and I need to say good things to myself on a daily basis. Negativity is a choice and I need to dismiss any thoughts that are not positive.

The fear of failure is something that has controlled my life for a long time. Instead of thinking to myself what can go wrong, I need to think what will go right. I must not worry about other peoples opinions and not worry about what people think. I have to accept myself for who I am, not judge myself and learn to love myself. I need my mind working for me, not against me. I have learned that failing does not necessarily mean the end. I just need to overcome failures and say 'I need to do better'.

Leaving my comfort zone is an essential component to growth. This is an area that I find difficult. I have always felt safe in my comfort zone, but I know I need to move out of it in order to grow. This is an area for me that I think will take time, but I need to focus on how it will benefit me and how staying within my comfort zone will hinder me.

I have to pick myself up at times when things do go wrong, things going wrong happens to everyone. I will have to use any setbacks as feedback and not something that will stop me in my tracks. Instead of focusing on failures, I have to say to myself; How can I do better? How can I be more productive? This is what I mean by feedback. Things I want in life are not always achieved immediately, they take time and the essential component is to stay on track. I will have to keep immersed in all my activities as when I have success in the things I do, it will make me happy. I have learned to keep motivated and not give up.

Managing my time will make my tasks more productive. I have to keep focused and finish all the tasks that I want to achieve. If I focus on completing a task before moving onto the next, this will help my time be more productive. Moving from one task to the other without completion will leave me without the sense of achievement as I will have many unfinished tasks to complete. This will also create stress and interfere with my focus. I have to put myself first and finish what I am doing at that moment, then move onto the next task.

The feeling of gratitude is important for my mind, body and spirit. Focusing on what I have in my life that is good and not taking up energy dwelling on what is bad will make me grow, as I will appreciate everything I have achieved. Being kind and considerate to others creates more trusting relationships and if you believe in yourself, others will believe in you. Doing tasks in a state of gratitude and optimism will give me fulfillment. This will increase the productivity of my business. Most important, I need to have patience.

For me, some of these habits can be mastered quickly, but other habits will take longer. Daily exercise and implementation of these strategies will improve my mind and quality of life.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter twenty-one). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.

Do More: Step 20

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The way to success is to provide a service in a state of gratitude, joy and optimism. This can be difficult at times, but it is something we need to get into the habit of doing. We will not succeed in business if we do not help others get what they want. If we work feeling grateful, happy and positive, it will make people want to be around us, which will help our business whether we are dealing with staff or customers. Successful people help others and make a difference. The more we give to others, the more we will receive. When we do this, we will feel happy and fulfilled. Happiness and fulfillment will increase our productivity and achieve greater results. When we send out good thoughts, good thoughts will come back to us.

Patience is a great virtue. We never know exactly when our business is going to take off, so it is important not to doubt ourselves and give up. Trust in life itself as physical effort and helping others makes us successful.

My Action Plan:

I must stop worrying and stop being impatient so the natural goal achieving process will come my way. I must keep feeling positive and polite around customers because when I am not, I am not happy with myself.

1. If I think of a goal I want to achieve that I have been procrastinating because it is not happening fast enough. Recall what I said to myself and the negative tone I said it in.

2. I then say to myself that I will achieve this and I need to wait, be calm and patient. Things will come to me in a matter of time.  I must work on my patience so it gives me time to get what I want.

3. I tell myself to remain calm and that everything is being done to give me what I want.

I will talk to myself using these 3 steps over a few days. I will use this method with each goal I make.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter twenty). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.

Leadership: Step 19

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We are all guilty of waiting for the perfect time to pursue our goals. The truth is, there is never a perfect time. If we wait too long, we will be too late to start achieving them. Waiting also dampens confidence. When we are afraid to do something, if we think that it is ok to fail, the fear of going ahead and pursuing it will disappear. The fear of failure is what prevents us doing something new.

We cannot wait for a leader to take our hand to make the first step. We must do this ourselves. We must ask for help, support and we need to be motivated. We will not always know where we are going or where we want to go until we start the process of moving towards what we want to achieve. We can then plan our path and our goals. Leadership is something that can be learned. We have to break away from the crowd. Leadership starts with self-discipline and all the great leaders are authentic, honest and are a good person. A good leader will lead by example, always do the right thing, care about team members as well as treat everyone with respect and be fair. These qualities will create trust. Believe in ourselves, our product, in other people and our business will progress. Cooperate, respect and share credit.

My Action Plan:

I am not the ideal candidate for leadership. It is something I really need to work on. I am learning to build my self-confidence. This is an important quality for leadership. The people that follow me have to be able to trust my judgement. My belief has increased over the past year which will give me the confidence I need. Taking action is another quality I need to build or I will never achieve results. I need to take responsibility for my success and be able to make the correct decisions. I have to learn what my team needs to succeed.

However, I have some skills that make a good leader. I am understanding of what people want and I am a good listener. I am patient, so I can control my emotions in situations that are stressful. Patience helps me to be understanding towards others. Working on my personal development is a great skill I have enjoyed doing that will build my weaknesses and enhance my strengths.

I think of myself as a person of great authenticity, sincerity, courage, integrity, passion and honesty. I feel happy with myself having these qualities. I feel how good it feels to be a good leader. I imagine all the positive things happening to my business such as, building a huge team and bringing out the best in each team member. I do this regularly and I will create the correct beliefs, habits and mindset of a great leader.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter nineteen). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.

Cling to my Dreams

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What keeps me feeling alive each day is when I cling to my dreams. This is what takes me away from the stresses and strains of daily life. Dreams give me something positive to focus on. Having dreams will help me inspire others to do the same. Following my dreams makes me feel excited.

Having no dreams makes me depressed. I get into the habit of thinking that my dreams are not accessible and they are just something that I imagine might happen. However, this is not true. I will prove others wrong when I do actually achieve my dreams. I am on this earth to enjoy my life. Fulfilling my dreams gives me a feeling of achievement and pride. It gives me hope, courage, motivation and takes me away from negativity. I can dream at any age, change what I dream and I have no limits on what I dream.

If I ignore the people around me who spoil what I love to dream, it gives me the ability to think independently and I can stay in my little world of pleasure despite what is going on around me.

So everyone, keep dreaming.

Resilience: Step 18

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Failure does not necessarily mean a stop sign.  It is important to find a way to recover when we get knocked back. When we experience any failures, it is feedback on how we can do better. Successful people have qualities such as positivity, optimism and emotional management. We are entitled to feel the emotions that come with setbacks, but we should not make this a permanent state. We should build our character and have the strength to find resilience at times when things are going wrong. We are all in the same boat, we have to face major challenges, it is a part of life. Learn to overcome problems.

In life, we reap what we sow. This is a true statement. Our journey is in our hands. Each person is an individual. Everyone progresses at different stages. Some people are quicker to achieve success than others. It does not happen immediately, so we should keep working towards our goals.

My Action Plan:

In order to be resilient I have to connect with my vision, values and mission.

My mission: it is the path to accomplish my vision. My values: being true to myself as my values are what I believe in, my ethics and what is important to me. My vision: this is my goal of financial freedom.

It is really important to know my values. True happiness comes from living and acting within my values everyday. This is true of everyone. When we are happy, we do things better.

If I think of someone I respect most. I describe three qualities about that person that I admire. There are people who have come through so much hardship, they had a very difficult upbringing, suffered abuse. They do not let it hold them back from who they want to be. They do not sit around feeling sorry for themselves like so many people do. It is a choice to allow bad situations to ruin the rest of your life. They have optimism, positivity and they can manage her emotions. They have all the great qualities of successful people. These are qualities I really admire. This person I admire is Dani Johnson. She is a successful entrepreneur. She had an abusive upbringing, she was homeless, today she has a successful business and a happy family.

I have to work out my most important values. These are: happiness, optimistic outlook on life and a feeling of peace and contentment. I work out the three most important qualities I would like to be best known for. These are: inspiration, commitment and courage.

I have to replay my vision of financial freedom everyday. At the same time be mindful of my mission and values. My thoughts have to be detailed. I repeat this once a week. This will create a deeper meaning and greater sense of purpose in all the things I do.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter eighteen). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.

Negativity: Step 17

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It is important that we break habits that are destructive in order to achieve success, not only in business, but in anything we do throughout our lives. They slow our progress and cause us to regress instead of progress. We have to think to ourselves that not all thoughts that pop into our head are true. Keep in control of our thoughts and actions, and adjust them if we are moving towards the negative. If a thought is not positive, then dismiss it. We want to be changing negative beliefs into positive ones and for this to become a habit. Shut down any negative thoughts quickly. We must always ask ourselves why we are doing something, because if we know the reason, we will be willing to do anything to succeed. There are no excuses, we have a choice.

My Action Plan:

I follow this process.

1  I have to think to myself; Who I have been in the past? What do I want to change? I was very critical of myself. I always thought negative about every situation. I felt I could never become successful and I had no motivation. I worry about the future and I felt angry about all my failures. I want to become a more positive person. Have the motivation to work hard and achieve what I want.

2  I highlight all my destructive emotions; FEAR: I feel fear at doing something new, outside of my comfort zone. WORRY: I worry about the future, if I can pay my bills, where I will be in a few years time. ANGER: I feel anger at my failures, if I could have done things differently. DEPRESSION: It makes me feel down when I think of the above emotions. I dwell on my mistakes.

I close my eyes and picture two roads. One is success and the other is failure. I think of a situation in my life where I fall into my destructive behaviour patterns. I feel that emotion. I then say STOP, picturing a stop sign. I feel how I want to feel now; How do I want to think and feel about this situation? What would I say? How do I talk to others with this new emotion? How do I act? I picture this situation with the new emotion and feel happy with it. I walk back from the stop sign and walk down the road to success. I see my vision on a billboard and it says 'FINANCIAL FREEDOM'.

When I think to myself about my destructive emotions, feeling fear about moving out of my comfort zone only holds me back. I will try new things and think the ways it can benefit me. There is no point to worry. Worry gets me nowhere. I think to myself that I can pay my bills, I am in control of my future and my life will work out the way I want if I believe and have motivation. Feeling angry about the past does not change anything. I need to move forward and say to myself that what is in the past is in the past. I have to look to the future. Changing these emotions makes me feel happy and positive.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter seventeen). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.  

Failure: Step 16

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We all fail at something at some point in our lives. There is no success without failure so it is important that we bounce back from disappointment.

The most successful people have failed until they achieve success. We learn from failure. Failure is feedback. It is part of the process of working towards success.  We should not be afraid to move outside our comfort zone as success is around the corner.  It is the road to possibilities and opportunities.  The stumbling blocks in our life have to be seen as stepping stones and moving forward, even though we might feel that we are being pulled back. The most successful people turn stumbling blocks into opportunities. Self-pity is a waste of time so we should train our mind to deal with disappointments. When we come up against a stumbling block, it means the time is not quite right and we need to work that little bit harder to achieve success. If we have to work hard to achieve what we want, we will appreciate what we have. It makes us stronger people.

My Action Plan:

1  I need to ask myself on a daily basis: How can I do better today and make my day more productive? Write a to-do list on everything I need to do that day and prioritise each task in order of importance. Tick off each item as it is completed and anything I have not managed to do that day, can be done the next.

Where or what is the opportunity? Retailing products, time on the phone looking for new sponsors, working on personal development, achieving my vision of financial freedom, the ability to buy what I want without having to worry.

Am I prepared to do everything necessary to make it happen? If I stay focused and work hard, I can achieve anything I want. If I keep positive, it will help me when things do not work out the way I want.

2  I need to repeat on a daily basis:

I have everything in order to be successful.

I can and I will find a way to achieve success.

I will accept failure as feedback and not as a setback.

I will get better each day if I keep working on my personal development and work towards my goals.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter sixteen). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.

Gratitude: Step 15

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We all take things we have and people in our lives for granted. The truth is, we take for granted the things we love the most and that are most important to us. We are so busy dwelling on the things we do not have, we forget to be grateful for the things we do have. We need to be grateful for our families, friends, children, job, health and what we own. Ways to lift our mood and feel more confident is to list all the good things we have and the people in our lives. We will attract more good things our way if we get into the habit of dwelling on gratitude rather than failure.  It will keep us in a positive mood and frame of mind. If our brain is working in a more positive state, it will enhance our mind, body and spirit. We will have more enthusiasm, motivation, determination to achieve what we want. Our levels of stress will lower.

Many people who have achieved great wealth and have a fantastic way of life are still unhappy because they do not recognise the great things they have and are not grateful for them.  They have forgotten what it is really like to be without these things. So if we want success in life, we have to grow, being grateful ensures growth. We have to focus what is great in our business and our lives. The brain needs to be rewired into a state of gratitude.

3 Levels of Gratitude:

1  Past events we need to be grateful for as they have made us the people we are today.

2  Feel gratitude for the things we have now that we own.

3  Continue to believe that good things will come to us in the future.

If we continually think about being grateful, we cannot think bad thoughts and that good will come our way.

My Action Plan:

Every day, I think about the good things I have in my life. I choose 3 things, no matter how small. One from the past, one from the present and one from the future. Over a period of 21 days my brain will have got into the habit of looking for the positives in my life rather than the negatives.

As well as thinking about what I am grateful for, my gratitude can be shared with my family and friends through telling them how grateful I am to have them.

Things I am grateful for are; my health, my family and my friends health, my ability to work and that I have a job, I have a roof over my head and food on my plate, I live in a country with good health care and education, my disabled son is well looked after, I have friends that accept me for who I am, my qualifications and I have the tools to have a successful future.

I feel that when I am grateful, I am less envious of others because I have wonderful things in my own life. I am also less materialistic, which gives me the patience to work towards my goals. I write everything down that I am grateful for so I do not forget.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter fifteen). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.

Manage Time: Step 14

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Time is valuable to us all. An important quality of successful people is time management skills. Successful people protect their time, their energy and their focus. Learn to say no as we have a habit of wanting to please everyone and to keep the peace, as a result end up compromising ourselves. It is impossible to please everyone, so at times we will need to put ourselves first. This is especially important in a business scenario. It is not about being cruel to people, but it is about learning to say no when necessary and not feel guilty. It is important that we give ourselves the right to say no. We only need to give our main reason why and we can always offer an alternative option to the person we are saying no.

Avoid distractions when performing important tasks. Saying no to ourselves will maintain our boundaries and stop us wandering off course from our tasks. It will make us have a good balance between work and play. We cannot waste time on people who do not appreciate our time or who will not use it wisely. It is wasting our time as well as theirs.

My Action Plan:

I will write a yes and no list. I will be strict with myself when it comes to items on my no list and prioritise items on my yes list. In order to move myself forward, I need to say no to activities that do not help me grow. I will not waste my time on activities that are not productive. I will keep focused on my lists and tick off each activity as it is completed.

Activities that I need to spend less time doing and put on my no list are; watching television, time on facebook that is not productive, personal grooming, watching movies, worrying, talking negatively to myself and about myself, spend less time with people who do not make me feel good, window shopping and unnecessary journeys in the car.

Activities that I need to spend more time doing and put on my yes list are; positive time on facebook connecting with friends, family and business activities, eating healthy food, laugh more, spend time in nature and the outdoors, talking positively to myself, reading self-improvement books, try something new to build my confidence, spend time with loved ones, keep working on my goals, connect with positive and successful people, keep working on my personal development, keep visualising my vision, deal with important emails, keep on top of my calls to prospects, advertise products, do things that make me happy, write a list each day of the things I need to do and plan any journeys so I do not waste time on unnecessary travel time.

Writing my yes list and no list will enable me to be more productive. I will recognise what I need to do and what I do not need to do. My time will be more structured and it will also prevent me from becoming overwhelmed with my activities.

O'Connor, Dave. How To Create The Mindset Of A Network Marketing Champion, (Chapter fourteen). United Kingdom: Dreams Publishing, 2015. Print.