Ever start a diet, stick with it for a while, then quit? What made you stop?
 
How about an exercise program? You went to the gym two or three days a week for a few weeks — then poof! — no more. How come?
 
Those two — diets and exercise — may be the most started-and-quit endeavors ever.  I’ll bet starting an Amway ranks right there with them.
 
Ever say you are going to set up 3 appointments this week to STP and then started for a week, then cashed it in?
 
The point - I’m not saying we must finish everything we start. Life is a trial-and-error process and some things we start are worth exiting because of what we learn along the journey.

But sometimes... they’re well worth finishing.

Let’s be brutally honest with yourself about why. Quitting for the wrong reasons can hold you back in life — building a debilitating habit, jolting your confidence, crippling your relationships, tanking your career.
 
One of the most misunderstood reasons people quit is... they hit a plateau. Meaning: things are going good for a while, then suddenly despite continued effort, sense of lack of progress, you can’t see tangible results such as TOO MANY NOs, and you feel it’s not working. So you quit.
 
Most of us fall into this trap: the trap of thinking that when we start a new activity, or new project goal - that as long as we stay with it and do what we’re supposed to and don’t stop... we should make steady, noticeable, straight-line, forward progress every day. 
 
Makes sense - Logic says so.  That is where we make our mistake and get all tangled up. Because our thinking is all wrong.
 
Success, it turns out, is a trickster. It is not a logical process. It’s not linear. It does not work like this: do a little bit of work today... see a little bit of the result today. Nope.
 
Because success has a dirty little secret: the nasty habit of taking vacations smack dab in the middle of the work we do to achieve it. Meaning, there are extended periods of time when we do the required work like we’re supposed to — but we don’t see any visible, tangible results in return. That’s a plateau.
 
And when that happens, well, maybe we’ll Show the Plan another day... maybe two or three... and we’re still doing the work... but seeing no result... and before you know it... WE QUIT. Logic tells us - it isn’t working. But we are wrong!
 
In his book “Mastery”, author George Leonard, talks about this extended period of action-with-no-results. An instructor of Aikido, considered the most difficult of the martial arts to learn, Leonard says that, of his students who quit, most quit on a plateau, frustrated that progress has come to a halt, despite continued hard work.
 
Think about it: when you started the Amway business or learn something new.  In the beginning, there is a huge spurt in personal growth and progress — because we’re going from nothing to something — so of course, it will jump. Visibly. But soon we hit a period where continued effort does not bring a matching level of progress. No one seems to want to get in.  The plateau.
 
After a while — if we stick with it — we’ll be pleasantly surprised by another spurt of visible growth. And we’re excited. But then, another long agonizing plateau.
And that’s how success really flows. Growth spurt... then long plateau... growth spurt... then long plateau.
 
And when you quit or anyone quits... is often on a long plateau... where we come to the logical conclusion that progress has permanently halted. Wrong. Progress hasn’t halted, it’s just on a temporary vacation. All the real growth, in fact, takes place during the long boring plateau.
 

Leonard’s conclusion and advice to his Aikido students: Learn to love the plateau. It’s your friend, not your enemy. Stay with it — don’t quit — and trust that another spurt of growth will come.

ACTIONS FOR YOU

3 Simple little steps.
 

1. Stop thinking that success follows a logical, straight-line, forward-and-upward path. It doesn’t. It messes with our heads by spurting upward suddenly... then flattening for a long time. These two steps repeat and repeat and repeat.
2. Stop thinking that you’ll see results every day. You won’t. The plateau prevents visibility.
3. Learn to love the plateau. It’s your friend, not your enemy. It’s where all the real growth happens. You just can’t see it yet. But stay with it... it’s coming!

 
Oh, a final inspirational point. Leonard said that all his students who pushed through the long, grueling, arduous plateaus and stuck with their workouts... they became champions.

So can you. In whatever you’re shooting for.

You’re in charge of your own happiness.  No one else is.  YOU own the responsibility to be happy.  If you’re not… it’s your own fault.  

Most people don’t want to hear that -- because then they can’t blame their misery on something external.  They have to own it.  (Perish the thought.)  
 
This is not news!

Ben Franklin said: “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself.” 

​Comedian Groucho Marx, offered this: “I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.  I can choose which it shall be.  Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet.  I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.”  

Ivanka Trump,”We must architect the lives we want to live… find your passion and pursue that.”  

Dennis Waitley, author and speaker said: “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed.  It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”  

Tom Bodett, the famous voice for Motel 6: “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:  someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” 

Tom Bodett, the famous voice for Motel 6: “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world:  someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”  

Richard Bach, the author of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” stated, “If your happiness depends on someone else, I guess you do have a problem.”    

Each of these people has offered a brilliant, thought-provoking perspective.

ACTIONS FOR YOU

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If you were offered 2½ hours of fun, glory, envy of thousands, adoration by millions, and enough money to last you a lifetime... would you take it? - Who wouldn’t.

But what if I told you that, to earn it, you had to endure 6 months of brutal, body-pounding, bone-jarring punishment, sometimes in torrid heat, sometimes in frigid blizzards... all while risking broken bones, paralysis, concussions, and other painful, life-altering injuries?

NOW would you take it? Hmm, not so quick to raise your hand this time.
That is the life of an NFL football player.

​THE AMWAY BUSINESS MODEL IS FAR BETTER

The entire season for each player is only 2½ hours. That’s right, the entire season.
Do the math. Each game is 60 minutes in duration, but only 13 minutes of ‘action’ (that’s documented) the rest is standing around. Multiply times 22 games (4 pre-season, 16 regular season, maybe 2 post-season). Divide by 2, since every player’s on offense or defense - thereby playing only half the game. Total time played per player, per year: 2½ hours.

The Amway business model is similar but without the broken bones and health risks. 
When showing the plan, 4 hours a week, for 6 months to find 20 people who join, we are rewarded an incredible starting income of $60,000 per year.  Continue the effort for an additional 6 months and the income expands to $140,000 and to continue it for another year your income is five times that.  And that income continues for a long time.  The reward trips and the lifestyle is not even matched by the NFL football players.

Be honest – isn’t that a far better result for less work.

ACTIONS FOR YOU

As entrepreneur advisor Dan Kennedy says: “The marketplace is perfectly willing for anybody to be as rich as they decide to be. Also as poor as they decide to be. Most people see success all around them while giving no thought to principles behind it or to duplicating it for themselves.”

We are in charge of our own personal work ethic, our own level of determination, our own eagerness to learn and apply, and our own financial earnings.

If it’s not happening for you, don’t blame others, don’t cry foul, and don’t demand wealth distribution.
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Just look in the mirror to find the cause. It’s staring back at you. Best news of all: YOU can fix it.

Chose to take control of your life!

Motivational icon Earl Nightingale once told the story of a top salesman named Tom who expected the newly-vacant sales manager position to be awarded to him. Confident of his upcoming promotion and pay raise, he and his wife already planned to buy a new house.

Called to the president’s office, Tom’s jaw hit the floor when told the position would go to Bill Smith. Devastated, Tom protested: “But Bill has been here only 5 years. I’ve been here 15.” It was a rude awakening. Tom had confused seniority with accomplishment.

TOM HAD FAILED TO LEARN & GROW

What he really had was 1 year of experience, repeated 15 times, and wasn’t ready for management.  Bill had far outdistanced Tom in growth, training, knowledge, and ability.
This episode is repeated daily in companies the world over. Employees think they are deserving of recognition and advancement only to find out that they have not expanded themselves through books, training and new experiences.  Too often it is their own fault.
Famed psychologist William James put it this way: “Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound.”
What is your current station?  Are you actively learning to improve?  If you’re already the top leader, do you continually raise the bar on your own performance... leading by example? Or are you coasting... foot off the gas?

The world is full of lazy couch potatoes, doing little to learn more, grow bigger, enhance skills, and polish talents... yet expecting rewards they don’t deserve to magically fall in their laps. They have ‘entitlement mentality’ and it stinks.

ACTIONS FOR YOU

Why not sit down today and map out a personal development plan for yourself, with goals, tasks and timelines.  Ask yourself: Who are the people I should meet – and make the calls.  How do I sign up for CEP and get great motivational talks?  What places should I visit? Groups I should join? (let Google be your friend)

Personal development coach Brian Tracy says: “Your weakest key skill, sets the height of your income.” If you’re not sure what yours is, ask your spouse, a close friend, or most trusted colleague who will tell you the truth.
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What do you do with all this? In the words of peak performance strategist Tony Robbins: “Take massive action.” - get moving, stay moving, never rest on my laurels.

This is how high achievers leap higher, accomplish volumes, earn abundantly, and are envied by others. It’s no secret. It’s about making an aggressive plan and vaulting off the couch.

Just how good a leader do you think you are?  

Based on what criteria?  Do you take time to self-analyze how you’re doing on a regular basis?  With brutal honesty?  
And if I asked those who follow you… what would they say about your performance as their leader?  And by what specific standards or measuring stick do they judge you?  

And now here’s the most important question:  Is there any chance the criteria by which you measure your own performance… doesn’t match theirs?   Maybe it’s time you got on the same page and sync up the two lists.

For a place to start let’s go to the VERY top.  

Here are the 10 criteria used by historians to judge the performance of U.S. Presidents (source: USA Today):  

1.    Public persuasion  
2.    Crisis leadership  
3.    Economic management  
4.    Moral authority  
5.    International relations  
6.    Administrative skills  
7.    Relations with Congress  
8.    Vision/Agenda setting  
9.    Pursuit of equal justice for all  
10.  Performance within the context of his times  

Pretty powerful list and astutely clear.

Let’s face it, in the entire world, whose decisions influence more people than a U.S. President?  Who is more openly loved and hated… praised and cursed… judged and misjudged… interpreted and misinterpreted… understood and misunderstood?

That’s why it’s called the toughest job on Earth

ACTIONS FOR YOU

If you’re struggling to identify your own criteria, why not start with Network 21’s three pillars for business builders and CORE.  When we all have the same goals, we all pull together for everyone’s success.

Over the years the Network 21 system has taught me principles that can be used in my traditional business.  Leading a team as part of the Amway business these principles will serve you well.  

Network 21 three pillars

• To Edify someone is to build them up.  Everyone wants to be respected, honored and valued by others.  Helping others by giving a “hand up” builds people.  Our business is a people building business that uses products to reward us for the effort.
• The concept of No Cross-lining is difficult to explain.  Working within your line of sponsorship (LOS) is the easiest way to define what is right.  Now this doesn’t mean avoiding others or being unfriendly as we are all on the same teams.  We just don’t say or do things Cross-line that might cause doubt or confusion.  Remember a successful sports team will not have two different coaches with different methods. 
• Learning from others who have gone before is Counseling or mentoring.  When we work together we learn from other’s mistakes without wasting time messing up ourselves. 

 
The concept of CORE – investing in yourself by doing 4 key activities
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1. Subscribe and listen to CEP (Continuing Education Program).  In traditional businesses you are required to continuously learn and this business is no different. 
2. Attend all meetings – BBS, Weekend Seminars and Open Previews – catch the spirit of the business.  Network 21 meetings are so uplifting to the spirit that we have many IBOs attend just to get a good lift
3. Share the Business Opportunity 8-15 times a month – every business requires discipline and “Showing the Plan” a consistent 8-15 for 6-8 months is all it takes to get a good income.  

Buy from yourself – do 150PV every month and have 50 of that from customers.  This is not hard if you set a plan and work the plan