Are you ready for the success you want?  That's my question to you.

Maybe you want to win the lottery,  maybe you want a job promotion, or maybe you want your business to suddenly explode with prosperity. Whatever and however you define 'success' in your own life my question to you is Are You Ready?

This topic has been poking it's head up at random times over the past few months in my life so I've decided to try and grab it.

A recent example I can't seem to shake from my mind was some friends of mine on Facebook wanting to win the lottery. How great it would be, all they could do with their winnings to improve their lives and the lives of others.

I'd argue that with success (in this case money) comes a lot of responsibility that most of us are just not ready for. How often do you hear stories about past winners and how they're now broke. We hear these stories, mock the people and move on with our dreams but the truth is why do we think we're any better or any more prepared for 'success?'

Another example happened to me. One of the aspects of my business is introducing new people to the business and helping them to grow their own business. This in turn helps my business. So at first all I could focus on was bringing new people in but I noticed very quickly something happening, they were dropping off. I had finally achieved the success I wanted but I wasn't actually ready for it. I didn't know what to do with the people once they joined me!

Conclusion
My point is not, if you want success you need to go out and work hard for it. Everyone says that and everyone already knows it. My point is that maybe you're not achieving your success because you're not ready for it. Let's stop blaming the circumstances around us and work on ourselves first.

Brandon Broadwater, a personal development coach at his seminars has the audience chant, "I'm bigger then my circumstances." At first I thought this was pretty silly. Now I realize all of my success has come from looking within and improving myself and not focusing solely on the world around me.

I challenge you to do the same. If there is an area of your life you want 'success' first look within. Is there anything you can improve first?

Remember when you were a kid and your parents tried teaching you the value in saving money. For some it was a piggy bank and for others is was a full blown savings account. My parents actually did a really good job at teaching me this lesson. When we went to the bank for whatever reason instead of just reviewing their accounts and having me wait in the corner they would have the banker also review my account to see how it was doing. It made me feel a part of the entire process instead of something that only adults do.

Now it's present day and I'm realizing more and more how important the lesson I was learning was and that it doesn't just apply to money. If you've read any of my blog posts you know I love talking about, learning about, and practicing changing habits to achieve long term goals. The more I learn about this subject the more I've come to realize that Life is a Savings Account.


Steven Covey says, "Private victories precede public victories. You can't invert the process anymore than you can harvest a crop before you plant it." To me this means it's the little, seemingly unimportant actions we take everyday that lead to ultimate goals and success. Unfortunately we also grow up around media and brilliant marketing companies who have us believe that we need to make snap decisions in order for success.

We often praise the grand slam hitter in baseball, we fantasize about winning the lottery and we wish we could be in the right spot, for that great opportunity. It's true that the people that this happens to are in the spotlight for a brief moment but what we have to ask ourselves is, where are they now? What kind of longevity do these 'grand' events bring?

Be careful how you save
If small positive habits carried out everyday lead to larger positive outcomes the reverse is true as well. Small bad decisions carried out everyday will lead to large negative outcomes. For example eating a candy bar isn't going to make you fat but, eating one everyday for 10 years will certainly add some weight.

TIP: Garbage in equals garbage out so make sure your daily habits are aligned with your ultimate goals. If they're not, rethink your strategy.

Create multiple Savings Accounts
If you're like me you don't have just one goal. Some of my current goals are to grow my business, maintain my health and read more books. Now I dedicate differing amounts of time to each but for instance I'm not good at sitting still and reading. But the knowledge I gain from reading is invaluable so I know I need to work on it. So I take it in small chunks. I try my best to read for 15-20 min/day which allows me to cover about 15-20 pages/day, therefor I can get through a 300 page book in roughly 15 days. Viola, I'm going through books!

TIP: Imagine for a second if everyday you took 15 minutes to achieve something positive in your life, and did that multiple times a day? Where would you be in 3 months, 6 months or a year? What could you accomplish?

Don't save $10/ week when you can't afford $1
I see people especially in the health & fitness field doing all the time. Inspiration hits like an explosion and they want to get in shape and ripped up. "I can workout and hour a day," "I can eat healthy," and the list goes on. If you're not currently working out or eating right, don't bite off more then you can chew.

TIP: When trying to change a major habit, don't try to change too much too soon. Want to workout for 60 min/day? Start with 15 minutes for 30 days and slowly progress. Let's be serious if you can't handle 15 min/day you'll never make it to 60 minutes.

Then I'll save $20/ week! Still not a good idea
Sometimes good habits, even with good intentions can be overdone. Maybe you accidentally skipped date night with your loved one, so the next day you bought them flowers and took them someplace really special to make up for it. A few months later something comes up again and you repeat this process. How long do you think it's going to take until date night is going to lose it's entire significance?

TIP: It's important to know that in our journey of creating new habits that mistakes and failures will happen and you will fall off course. In this example this couple started out showing each other importance and priority above all else but small changes in plans set them off course.  They tired 'making up' for it by doing more but in doing so something else happened.  A habit was created where their brain said, "it's okay to veer off course because I can always make up for it later," and that attitude is more damaging then anything!

Conclusion
It's time we all wake up and realize there is a formula for SUCCESS and achieving OUR GOALS and it doesn't matter what your goals are.  The formula is simple, small habits made everyday will lead to long term outcomes. Life is a Saving Account, treat it like one.    

I had an awesome conversation with some friends of mine the other day which brought up some really cool ideas I wanted to share on how to achieve success more easily.

KEEP OUT:  Negativity and limits
"Don't say I can't, say I presently struggle with" is a quote from Tony Horton in the beginning of one of his popular P90X workouts.  Keep negativity and limits out of everything you say and the world will truly open up for you.  I find whether you want to achieve something or not, it's always best to keep negativity and limits out of your vocabulary.

There's another great quote that says, "It doesn't matter if you think you can or if you think you can't, either way you're right."  Your mind is a sponge, keep garbage out of it and it won't give you garbage.  This isn't always an easy rule to follow, but I promise you it will pay off, and you'll literally see life in an entirely different light.

The 5 minute rule
Have you ever wanted to do something that is counterproductive to your goals?   Of course you have, everyone has!  Try this next time.  Let's say your goal is to lose some weight.  The next time you have that beautiful piece of chocolaty desert sitting in front of you I want you to wait 5 minutes.  At the end of 5 minutes if you still want the cake eat it, if not then don't.  It's that simple.

This rule works in reverse too.  Want to lose weight but don't feel like working out that day.  We've all been there.  Do this, start working out but only commit to 5 minutes.  If at the end of 5 minutes you still don't feel like completing your workout don't, if you do, keep on going!  It doesn't matter what it is just take 5 minutes in the direction of your long term goals and if at the end of that 5 minutes you still feel like going the other way, do it.

This is a great rule for achieving anything in your life and realizing that life isn't made up of snap decisions like all marketing would want us to believe.  Take your time, weigh the pros and cons and only then make a decision.  Sometimes you'll still make a decision that isn't quite inline with your goals but a majority of them will be, and that's the idea.  Goals aren't reached by never failing, they're reached by continually doing better over time.

Would you rather?
Similar to the 5 minute rule but without the time limit.  Instead of setting a time, take the time to think to yourself would I rather.  Would I rather keep losing weight or would I rather eat the desert.  Would I rather keep sleeping in or would I rather get more work done and finish up earlier today.  Compare your actions with your goals and take just a few seconds to think about it.  I don't promise this will be easy but it will be worth it.

After some time you'll  most likely find yourself keeping away from activities which put you in a situation that you even need to ask the question to yourself.  It's much easier to say no to a beer after work if you're not already at the bar surrounded by friends!  :)

Conclusion
Incorporate all or just some of these mental 'games' into your daily decisions and you won't believe how much faster your goals will come.  After sometime you'll begin to notice other people who could also use this advice, please share this with them!

If you have any questions or want to continue the conversation contact me now.

*This blog was originally posted 12/17/13 and updated to reflect new thoughts and opinions 12/17/15

1. Who is pitching you on the company?  Is this a friend, loved one, stranger?  What is their credibility?  Some people over look this part.  How well do you know the person pitching you the idea?  If it's a good friend then I'd hope they'd have your best interests at heart and if not, get some new friends.  If you don't know the person, get to know them.  Is there contact info readily available? Are they willing to set up a chat or answer your questions?  If not, shy away. Why would you want to join that person you can't get a hold of anyway? 
   
   
   And just because someone is new to a business opportunity doesn't mean you should automatically run away. They obviously see something you don't.  Allow them to share their vision before judging them on it.
2. MLM's are business opportunities, that's it!  MLM's are opportunities to succeed, not guaranteed success.  If they guarantee anything that is a sign that you may need to start taking a few steps backwards.  Either your going to work towards the opportunity or you're not; but I can promise you if you don't put any work in you won't get anything out. 
   
   
   Think of an MLM as a job that hires everyone. Instead of a salary or hourly rate you get paid on your success and progress in that company.  Work = getting paid.  Not working = no pay.  It's up to you to decide if you're willing to do the work.  
3. Getting rich quick? Be honest with yourself, it doesn't happen often.  The only people getting rich quick are the ones starting the business and getting millions of people to sign up.   If you're in the business to get rich quick, it's probably not going to happen.  Make sure you have a good reason to be in the business.
   
   
   Now to be fair define quick.  I know people in my MLM who worked their butt's off for 14 months and are making six figures.  That's pretty quick right?  Of course I'm sure it didn't seem quick at first. For others it may take 3-7 years to get into that range.   Whether it's 2 years or 7 years all I know is that earning six figures is better than I could do at my last job!
       
4. Do you know anyone, or access to anyone who is making money doing this?  If so, how much?  Not everyone is willing to show you their income statements but I think it's important they give you a ballpark of how they're doing.  Or the company should have a statement of incomes earned by their members.  I've had people come onto my team who make more then I do and I've had people make less.  Either way it's a good idea to get some kind of idea.  
5. Marketing: will you have to do it all by yourself?  This is a big one that is often overlooked. Assuming you're selling a product or a brand does anyone know about it already?  Are you going to have to ONE, convince people the brand is trustworthy, and then TWO sell them on the product?  If the brand is already well known then that cuts half your work, if not more, right there!
6. What are the products (if any)?  Do you believe in or take the product?  Maybe you can share a product you don't use but I can't.  People aren't as stupid as we sometimes think they are.  If you're not excited about what you do they will sense it.  Steak knives may sell fast but how long until you become bored with them.  I have nothing against knives all I'm asking you to consider is try to find something you're passionate about.  
7. Is there a membership fee and what is it going towards?  In the MLM's I've come across there is always a membership fee but the real question is where is that money going?  Is it going towards the support of your business or it is just going to the CEO?  Make sure that your money is going to support, services, web maintenance, etc and not to someones pocket.  Remember you're making them money by promoting and selling their products, they shouldn't also be making money off of your membership fees.
8. Is there a support or training system?  Okay so I'm about to join, what kind of support do I get?  Is the person who recruited you going to help you?  Is there training material and if so is there an added cost for it?  Find someone who is going to stick with you on this journey and who you trust will help you.  I can't tell you how many people I see get lost in the system because their sponsors didn't help them.  It's very sad because many of these people could have been very successful and instead they left with a negative view on MLM's.
9. Is there a need?  What is the longevity of the product?  How long has the product been around?  Is it brand new?  Does the company have a large catalog of products or are all their eggs in one basket? Candles, jewelry and makeup are all great until someone comes out with something better. Guess what, someone always does. Is your company continually innovating are is this a one time deal and you're just waiting around for a new company to take over?
10. False Promises and Webpage Hits.  I've see this one emerging more and more.  I'm not an expert but MLM's that promise web traffic and fast commissions don't last.  You may make a nice paycheck here and there but most MLM's are based on repeat business, so find  a company where you are connecting and providing value to your customers, not just taking a quick buck or two.  Just because your reaching millions of people doesn't mean you can convert them to customers.  How often do you get spam email or ads and look right over them?    
11. Happiness...  Here's one I think is often overlooked.  In all likelihood you're going to be in this business for a few years.  Does it make you happy?  Do you enjoy the business or is it just a pay check?  Find an MLM that will give you years if not a lifetime of happiness.  Not only will you never work a day in your life but your customers will sense that in you.