What Makes the Difference between Success & Failure?

Looking back at the past decade of my networking career, there are several philosophies that have greatly contributed to my success over the years.

Now keep in mind, back in 1995 when I first set out to take back control of my life, I was a personal trainer in a gym, reporting to work every day at 5:30 a.m. in a pair of shorts and a collard t-shirt.

My job entailed holding a clipboard and counting backwards from ten to one while my clients lifted weights.

Those days, I had a whole different set of philosophies.

I lived paycheck to paycheck, couldn't afford to take one day off no matter how I felt; tired, sick or whatever, bills always on my mind, commuting 45 minutes each way and having to put up with adult babies who complained, made excuses, procrastinated and cheated on their diets!

I did all this for 20K per year.

When I reached my own pain threshold, (you know...that point that you just can't take it anymore and know you have to do something about it), I made the decision to stop trading my time for dollars and never work for anyone else ever again. (new philosophies beginning to form)

So, even though I started out as a personal trainer living in a small apartment, I was able to flip my entire life around with one single decision to change.

I was so disgusted about what Corporate America was all about, that I got into business for myself and the rest as they say, is history.

After running my own one-man-band private label sports supplement business for several years and going backwards into a lot of deb't, I decided to get more serious about my present and future and got focused on success in network marketing.

I was committed to developing passive in'come though the power of leverage which came from building my people and marketing teams. (Notice I said, building people; not building my business. A philosophy inside a philosophy!)

At first, I did not get great results (to the naked eye at least), but over the years, the philosophies that I adhered to, along with total commitment, discipline and massive action, I've been able to reach a level of complete and total fre'edom.

If you came to our Industry for these same things, here's one of my Old vs. New Personal Philosophies that you may want to look into for yourself: ( I will publish more in future posts).

Old Philosophy - Don't do anything unless it can be done perfectly.

New Philosophy - Doing something, even if its wrong, is better than doing nothing at all.

As my friend (who I met up at the Ritz in West Palm last month for 8 days with our families) Litman says, "You don't have to get it right; just get it going."

Truth is, everyone is a perfectionist in some way.

And since that includes you, you've got two choices:

Either positive or negative.

The Positive Perfectionist is a doer.

They are producers.

They get going and make adjustments along the way.

They don't require approval or permission to do anything. They just do it.

Oftentimes they fire before they are ready or even aim. (Some of the biggest success stories come from this personality by the way!)

They makes changes as they go forward and get better as they continue.

They make progress, even if they experience a temporary set back. (Remember, the set back is the set UP, for the Come Back!)

They stay outside of their comfort zone, which is why they succeed. They are constantly chasing perfection through action.

They jump first and grow their wings on the way down.

They are big producers.

So, the key is to just get going. Just start.

Do the wrong things until you do the right things. As long as you are moving forward, you are making progress.

The Negative Perfectionist is a procrastinator.

Most often, they don't start anything unless it's perfect.

They seek approval and/or permission from others to move forward.

The Negative Perfetionist cleans their desk, organizes their files, and practices their approach, yet they never get anywhere because by the time they get around to doing actual business, they are too tired from all the "getting ready to get ready" and as a result, make no progress.

They call their sponsor and ask how they sound on their new headset, want to bounce new ideas off their friends and read the script a hundred times so that they can sound perfect when they read it to their suspects.

Anything to prevent having to take the real action that is going to make them successful.

Anything to keep them from getting out of their comfort zone.

Anything to keep them from having to make a decision and commit to it.

Anything from doing the wrong thing, so as not to look foolish or feel bad about themself.

Anything not to speak to new people, learn to market or improve their value by investing in themself.

So, here's how you go from being a Negative Perfectionist to a Positive Perfectionist:

Do something, anything, even if it's not 100% correct.

Take a chance.

Take a risk.

Invest in yourself and your leadership value.

Don't be afraid to fail.

Don't be afraid to rack up some losses.

Don't be afraid to take a step back in order to make the big leap.

What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger.

You can always go back and correct mistakes and by taking notes and keeping score with yourself and your progress, you will gain the most important thing, and that is experience.

And this experience you develop, will give you that 6th sense called Intuition, which will allow you to make smart choices, act without "thinking" and going from being in your head, to coming from your heart.

Remember, as my friend Jeff Combs says, "Heart beats Talent Everytime!"

Develop more heart and acheive more success!

Keep your eyes peeled for more of my Favorite Old vs. New Philosophies in future posts.

Aaron

P.S. If you have not yet subscribed to my To the Top Newsletter yet, where you can get my Top 10 Success Principles, 10 HOT Leadership Tips, My Top 10 Best of the Best Prospecting Training, after you finish at this page, skip on over to AaronRashkin.com
>
>
>
>
P.P.S. If you are already subscribed to AaronRashkin.com and haven't picked up a copy of
Upfront Prospecting, Upfront Recruiting or Upfront Networking, cruise on over to my website and $AVE BIG on the Upfront Tri-Pack BLOWOUT SALE! Click Here for Audio Samples, Prices and and some F'REE Business Coaching!
>
>
>
>

What Level Leader are You?

There's an old adage that has circulated the Network Marketing Industry for many years,that says, "Either lead, follow, or get out of the way."

The truth is, every top leader & income earner is a great follower.

They were not born this way, but became this way, through a process of their own Personal Growth & Development over time.

This process entails following the teachings, the advice and mentorship of other great leaders who have already come before them.

Bottom line, every top income earner in our industry has made the decision to step up to the next level of leadership, no matter where they got started, to attract the next breed of upcoming leaders & followers in thier own organization.

Take a look at yourself and where you are in your business right now.

What level of Leadership are you at?

Are you a Leader Follower, a Leader's Leader or a Leader Grower?

A Leader Follower is someone who is just getting started on their way to the top.

They may be either brand new to Networking, brand new to their Company, or perhaps even new to Entrepreneurship.

Everyone starts at this level, with their enthusiasm real high and their knowledge real low.

There is nothing wrong with being at this level, however, you do not want to stay here for very long.

You must continually forge ahead, learning new skills every day, by reading books, listening to tapes & cd's, mentoring with & modeling others, attending events, and by taking consistent daily action.

The best action to be taking daily, is to be prospecting & doing 3-Way Calls withyour Upline.

Leader Followers often look toward their Upline for advice, feedback and even inspiration.

There is nothing wrong with being a Leader Follower, however nobody should want to stay here for too long.

Eventually, a Leader Follower will want to break free from the nest and try their own wings out.

Good mentors will even give them a little push from time to time.

Remember, you enrolled to become an Independant Distributor, not a Dependant Distributor.

You must reach the next level of Leadership, for your business to really take off.

More experienced Leader Followers feel that they don't have to "check in", as often with their Leaders, as they are out in the marketplace, gaining "Activity Knoweldge".

They will prospect for long hours, bring 3-Way Calls, attend events on their own and really learn to stand on their own two feet.

They still follow their Leader and use the System that has been provided for them, but they are now moving right along, learning to get to the next level of Leadership.

Many times, Leader Followers will survive this phase of Leadership on the borrowed strength of their Leader, until they develop their own strength to carry them.

The sooner you move from this phase of Leadership, to the next phase, the sooner your business will move to the next level as well.

Remember, your Business will only grow as much as you do.

The next level of Leadership, is called a Leader's Leader.

A Leader's Leader, is someone who has been through the Leader Follower phase and has now made the decision to take their business to a whole new level, by attracting other Leader Followers.

In this 2nd phase of Leadership, you'll already have the experience of being a Leader Follower, plus, you will learn a whole NEW set of skills.

First and foremost, you will realize that your committment is what's left over,when your motivation wears off.

Yes, the day will come at this stage of your growth, or perhaps even sooner, that you want to quit. However, your committment is so strong that you forge ahead anyways and find a way to get past your frustration or even discouragement.

Being a Leader's Leader means that you begin to get out of your head, and into your heart.

This is when you operate from your beliefs and your newly developed confidence.

This is when you really begin attracting others, who are looking for you, just as much as you are looking for them.

The best way to become a Leader's Leader, is to Lead by Example, give more thais expected and to go beyond the call of duty for the benefit of everyone on your team.

Remember, if you are not speaking to Leads, you are not Leading. A Leader's Leader is always looking for other Leaders who may be looking for a new Opportunity.

You will realize that speed of the Leader determines the speed of the pack.

This is also the level of Leadership where you realize that there is still so much to learn, and that by staying coachable and teachable, you will allow yourself to progress to the next level of Leadership.

A Leader's Leader can look in the mirror and realize that they are looking at both the problem and the the solution.

The next Level of Leadership, is called a Leader Grower.

A Leader Grower is someone who has experienced the fist two levels of Leadership, and has come to the next level in their understanding about themselves, others, and ofcourse, their business.

A Leader Grower understands that they don't get paid for time invested but for the value that they bring to the marketplace.

A Leader Grower understands that the more he or she learns the behavioral language and patterns of themselves and others, the more success they are going to experience.

The Leader Grower also understands Time, and how to Protect, Prioritize & Preserve it.

The Leader Grower also knows that he or she doesn't mangage people. They lead people, and mangage situations.

In addition, Leader Growers know that time management is impossible. Time is always moving. Instead, we must learn to manage ourselves, in time.

Leader Growers live by the Laws of Task & Delegation and give others the opportunity to take on their own responsibilities, as opposed to doing everything for everyone, and being everything to everyone.

A wise old sage once said that the best leaders, are those who instead of trying to explain everything to everyone, invite others to simply stand by their side, and see for themselves.

Being a Leader Grower sometimes means being a reflective device for others to see themselves in a new light, with grace, and dignity.

Having the attitude of gratitude, contribution vs. collection, peace & power over force & chaos, is the true essence of leadership development.

John Maxwell, one of the World's Greatest Business Leaders states "True leaders are not those who strive to be first, but who are the first to strive and give their all for the success of their team. True leaders are first to see the need, envision the planand empower the team for action. By the strength of the Leader's committment, the true power of the team is unleashed."
So, once again, just as the subject of this email asks, "What level Leader are you?"

More importantly, which level are you committed to acheiving next?

And when?

Remember, Someday is not a day of the week.

For Aaron's Top 10 Success Principles, HOT Leadership Tips & Best of the Best Prospecting Training, be sure to visit his website at AaronRashkin.com