Want Greater Success? Fail More Often!

Somewhere in between the apparently disconnected opinions of Tony Robbins’, “Perfect practice makes perfect” and Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali’s, “Have no fear of perfection—you’ll never reach it…” those searching for truth may stumble upon one of the most seemingly simple and yet provocatively profound formulas for success ever discovered:

“Double your rate of failure.”

Rhetorically asking, “Would you like me to give you a formula for…success?” Thomas John Watson, Sr., the Founder of IBM stated, “It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.” Mr. Watson then continued, “[Most people are] thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all.”

True, if you’re performing brain surgery, working with plutonium, or packing your own parachute, doubling your rate of failure is not the advice you want to be following. So why pass it along? Because taken in context, those five words continue to provide the clear instructions the majority of success seekers actually need!

Think about it… Watson’s quest for excellence was profoundly simple: Get more products into the hands of more people. (Sound familiar?) So how well did that “Double your rate of failure” philosophy actually work? Well, by 1952 IBM had become such a powerful sales force, they controlled 90% of the tabulating machine market in the United States!

Now to be fair, making a personal commitment to become a bit (or a lot) better at your chosen profession is always a good idea… But let’s not confuse preparation with performance. Because if all you’re really doing is spending countless hours getting ready, without actually doing much of anything, you will never experience the beauty of Watson’s words… In essence, how increased activity leads to abundant accomplishment.

Therefore, if your inward desire is to ultimately achieve a greater degree of success, in Network Marketing or otherwise, then consider applying Watson’s sage advice; shift what you’re focusing on and see if you can, through increased activity, “Double your rate of failure.”

All the best,

MSC

P.S. While Lexus continues “The Passionate Pursuit of Perfection” if you are interested in following in Watson’s footsteps, then gift a copy of “Go For No!” (along with this article) to anyone in your life who’s ready to fail their way to massive success!

Your future is tied to the past…

In 1905 George Santayana, the Spanish-born American author, wrote “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” So does that mean we get a “free pass” on our future if we simply choose to remain in ignorance? Not exactly…

Ignorantia legis neminem excusat! Latin for ignorance of the law excuses no one. In other words, we have an obligation—and at times even a legal responsibility—to learn what we can from history.

Now I’m not suggesting we only study the negative just so we can better appreciate the positive. However, I do believe we have a duty of sorts to learn what we can from both sides; “Here’s what’s acceptable…” and “Here’s what will get you into trouble…”

Take for example your Network Marketing business. I’m sure you represent a great company, offer fantastic products, and are paid exceedingly well. And although that may be true for you, it’s also what most distributors thought who at one time represented companies like Bigsmart, Jewelway, and Skybiz. Now in case you weren’t involved in the MLM industry a few years back, or don’t remember the past, Bigsmart, Jewelway, and Skybiz were all shut down by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for illegal activities.

Therefore, to learn what is acceptable, let this Code of Ethics be your guide. It’s not perfect, and yet if you follow it closely you will probably stay out of trouble. And again, to learn what will get you into trouble—so that you can stay out of trouble—see what you can discover from reading these reports: Bigsmart: FTC Report – Jewelway: FTC Report – Skybiz: FTC Report.

Because by the time you’ve finished reading the four linked pages above, I’m sure you’ll agree this is a part of the past you won’t want repeated in your future.

All the best,

MSC

P.S. If after reading the reports you believe you might be representing a business that will surely be shut down—get out now! Then find a legitimate Network Marketing company and build a real future!

Will we see each other next year?

It happens, I get that, but I will never completely understand why… Why does someone suddenly appear to represent a Network Marketing Company and then disappear just as quickly as the colors of summer turn and then fade away?

What happened to them? Where did they go? Was it our fault they left us so swiftly? The flowers will return in the spring, but will those we’ve witnessed wither and die return in the subsequent season?

They probably didn’t have big dreams. They probably didn’t even understand what it was they were supposed to do. They probably were a little scared. But they told us they wanted, or perhaps even needed, their business to succeed. It was important to them…

And yet they’re gone.

Did they return to the jobs they hated? Did they return to unrewarding careers? Did they give up on their future and settle for an even smaller fraction of the life they deserved?

Too many questions rush though my mind as yet another year creeps ever closer to its conclusion… And what a year it’s been: twenty-two live events, three different countries, on two continents, with the same predictable results: Too many quitting too soon.

So what about you? When 2009 draws to its inevitable conclusion fifty-five weeks from now, where will we find you? Will you still be here, actively building your Network Marketing business and loving the life you live? Or will you have become another sad statistic somewhere along the highway of success?

True, how you chart your course is your choice. But remember that your direction, right or wrong, will still determine your destination. With so many distractions in life, is it any wonder that trying to stay on track is perhaps the most difficult thing we will ever do?

And yet after 25 years as a distributor, writer, and speaker, I’ve still witnessed far too many good people quit Network Marketing too soon. In part because they didn’t believe; they didn’t take the time to learn; and they didn’t fundamentally understand that Network Marketing only works when we do.

But the story of those who quit doesn’t need to be yours! If you want to succeed in Network Marketing, go to work on your belief, your skills, and your activity. Became a serious student. Learn how this business works. And promise yourself you’ll be here, still actively involved, a year from now!

All the best,

MSC

The Law of Associations

You always have been, currently are, and will continue to become the combined average of the five people you associate with most… What you may not realize is that one of the five people you associate with most is YOU!

It’s true… Because of your internal dialog (that mental conversation, or self-talk, you have going on in your head), you speak to yourself at the rate of approximately 9,000 to 18,000 words per hour, all day long! That is probably more internal conversation than the combined external conversations with your four other associates combined!

Therefore, be careful with whom you associate, and become keenly aware of the thoughts you have running through your mind. Because if you will change your thinking (and occasionally your associations), you will change your life!

All the best,

MSC

Today is a beautiful day…

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it…” and although that may be true from time to time, it’s becoming increasingly apparent to me that what we say, in essence the actual words we choose, really do matter.

For example, if you’ve read my new favorite book, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be More Persuasive, you probably already understand the point I am trying to make. And if you haven’t read the book, take five minutes and watch this video, Historia de un letrero. I’ve posted it on my YouTube MLM Training Channel as a favorite, because its message is that good.

After all, today is a beautiful day…

All the best,

MSC

Do you have enough time to build your MLM business?

Where does all the time go? My wife and I have now been together for over 30 years; we raised two (both married) children and now spend a fair amount of time watching our two grandchildren grow up. At the rate time flies, it won’t be long before our grandchildren will have children of their own!

It’s sometimes hard for even me to believe but twenty-five years ago, wanting a bit more out of life than just a paycheck, I took a look at Network Marketing. And yes, things were a bit different back then when we had to walk, up hill both ways, to each and every opportunity meeting held at the local Holiday Inn.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but seriously twenty-five years ago we didn’t have video stores, mobile phones, computers, or the Internet… It really was a different time.

But the past is the past, and today really is the first day of our future, so here’s my question for you: Do you have enough time to build your MLM business? I ask because a few weeks ago we added a poll on the Nexera.com website asking “How many hours per week do you actually work your MLM business?” Here’s what we’ve learned (or been reminded of) so far:

14% of us work less than 5 hours per week
21% of us work between 5 to 10 hours per week
16% of us work between 10 to 15 hours per week
28% of us work between 15 to 20 hours per week
21% of us work over 20 hours per week

So how about you? Do you feel you’re investing enough time each week to create the success you really want? If you need more time, or sometimes just wonder were it all goes, check out this article I wrote Overcome The “No-Time” Syndrome because today millions of Network Marketing distributors are building successful part-time businesses in their spare time…and so can you!

All the best,

MSC