13 August 2008

What To Do When Life Gets In The Way

Below is a copy of an email I just received from Mark Wieser. If you don't know Mark Wieser you can meet him in this video. Here he is being interviewed by Mike Dillard. Mark is a guru in the network marketing industry. I 'm think you'll find what he writes below to be useful in your own business.


"You have a network marketing business.
You have a plan, and you KNOW where
you're headed.

But let me ask you:

Does it ever seem like just when you start to
get somewhere (and make some real progress)...

LIFE gets in the way?

Something comes up... a problem at work.
Trouble at home. A family challenge.
Whatever?

If so, you're not alone.
It happens to all of us.

Often, there's no way to avoid it.
After all, there are many things in
life we just can't control.

So what's a networker to do?

While it's true we can't control all
life throws at us, we CAN control our
response to it.

Instead of coming unglued, get creative.
Ask yourself questions like: "what can
I do to turn this into an advantage?"
"How can I modify my approach to keep
things moving forward (or at least,
to keep things from moving backwards).

It pays to be flexible. To roll with
the punch, and spring back with a fresh
approach to the challenge that's been
thrown at you.

When you make plans for your business,
make contingency plans as well. Don't
plan as if nothing will go wrong (something
always goes wrong, doesn't it? Instead,
have a plan "b" and "c" in place so when
life takes a turn, you've got options.

Let me share a personal example.

Last year, we flew across country
to spend Thanksgiving with family.

We'd planned a simple 6 day trip,
and since we were going to be spending
90% of the time at a resort, I was
looking forward to a relaxing time.

I knew I PROBABLY didn't need to drag
a laptop with me, but I did anyway,
"just in case."

The day before Thanksgiving, my dad
had a heart attack. We were blessed with
very good doctors, and my dad made it
through, but it was a difficult time for
all of us. What's more, our 6 day family
trip turned into well over a month long
stay for me. Thanks to my Macbook,
I was able to stay "plugged in" even
being so far from my home office.

Moral of the story: sometimes a little
PLANNING can help keep things on track.

Now you don't have to be traveling anywhere
to exercise some good planning.

The fact is, you should always have an
up to date WRITTEN plan for your business.

I have a friend in this business who
suffers from depression. Whenever it
hits her, she gets knocked down for
weeks at a time, sometimes longer.

Now depression is a serious battle
and there's no easy answers BUT once
again, a little planning can sometimes help
minimize the impact on one's business.

With a written plan, you've got a roadmap
you can always refer to (no matter what
life's thrown you) to help get you back
on track (or stay on track). At a glance,
your plan helps ground you, center you,
and shows you what needs to be done.

If you're unable to do it, at least you can
ask upline or a friend for help, and thanks
to your plan, you know what to ask them
to help you with.

You've probably been told to put your
goals in writing (and that's important)
but it's not enough. Have a written
action plan
too. A daily, weekly,
monthly action plan.

Highlight the key elements in your action
plan (the most important stuff) that keeps
your business on track and make sure that
gets done, even if you can't do all the
other stuff.

PRIORITIZE and work your high-priority
(critical care) line items first.

There are times that may be all you
can do... that's OK. Do what you can.

If you can't even do those because of
a severe life challenge, then reach out.
Ask upline for help.

Most importantly, be patient (and
forgiving) of yourself. Don't beat
yourself up for what you're not doing.
Congratulate yourself on what you
ARE doing. Even if it's just picking
up a phone and asking for help.

We live in an imperfect world. Do
your best to prepare and when life
takes an unexpected turn - refer
to your written plan to help keep
things moving forward.


Until Next Time,

Mark Wieser"

To See and Hear Mark Wieser speak, watch this free video.

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