Last Friday night my girlfriend and I experienced a real treat when we attended a performance by Alasdair Frazer and Natalie Haas.  Alasdair Frazer is an absolutely amazing fiddle player while Natalie can tear up a cello. (Yes, I said cello.)  If you remember the haunting fiddle tunes from the movies "Last of the Mohican's" and "Titanic" then you've heard Alasdair play.  These two team up to perform both traditional and new Scottish fiddle and dance music.   The two of them together took us from energizing jigs and reels to relaxing melodic tunes from old Scotland and back again.  It was a wonderful experience.

Why am I writing about a concert of Scottish fiddle music?  Don't worry, I'll get to it.

Afterwards, we were relaxing with a glass of wine while listening to the cd we bought at the concert.  We were talking about how amazing the performance was and what world class musicians the two of them were.  My girlfriend mentioned how much they must enjoy the music they make and how their passion for the music enabled them to become such virtuosos on their respective instruments.

At great personal risk (Just joking, sweetie!), I reminded her that becoming that good involved much more than just being passionate.  There must have been many days in their early development when the practice was anything but enjoyable or fun.  Rather it must have often been dull, monotonous, and boring.  Sheer drudgery!  I opined that it was not just their passion and enjoyment of the music,  but their vision of becoming virtuoso performers on their respective instruments that kept them going when part of them must have wanted so badly to quit.

(Now, here comes the business application...)

The top earners in the network marketing/direct sales field are like virtuoso performers.  Do they have a passion for what they do?  Of course!  But did they enjoy everything they had to do to get to where they are?  Absolutely not!  No matter how passionate one is nor how much pleasure your particular endeavor gives you, the fact is that there are going to many instances of activities necessary to ones success that are not going to be fun.

However, the top earners have a vision of where they are going to be.  Notice I said "are going to be" and not "want to be".  There's a huge difference.  One assumes success.  The other is merely a wish.  And wishes don't always come true.  But a vision, also known as a goal, have a much greater likely-hood of becoming reality simply because they are more likely than a wish to motivate someone to continue through the hard part in order to get to the good part. (This is also known as deferred gratification.  Something we rarely see in our fast-food culture anymore.)

Top earners, the truly big dogs in the industry, have a vision of where they are going to be long before they get there.  It's this unwavering knowledge of where they are going to end up that enables them to bore through the hard work that is an inevitable part of success, no matter what industry you're in.   They are willing to put in that hard work and accept the concept of delayed gratification because they have no doubt that it's going to pay off, and pay off big, in the end.

How often, after going to a concert like I just did, have you heard someone say, "I wish I could play like that."?  Most of us wish we could play like the great performers.  But very few of us are willing to put in the day upon day, week upon week, year upon year of seemingly endless hours of practice required to reach that level.

In the same way, many newcomers to network marketing and/or direct sales will say, "I wish I was making the money they are" or "I wish my business was growing like theirs is".  But the reality is most are unwilling to put in the time and do the work necessary to achieve that level of success.  A woman whom I greatly admire named Artemis Limpert is one of the elite leaders in her chosen network marketing company.  She once said, "People want what I have but they don't want to do what I did."  And therein lies the sad story of failure for so many network marketers.  They want the success but they are unwilling to do the work to get it.

Why?  Most have no clear vision of where they are going.  They have a lot of wants and wishes.  But they never really set down and make a firm decision (key word there, decision) about where they are going to be. No matter how hard it may be.  The decision's made.

Or they make what they feel like is a firm decision but they give up when it gets hard.  Remember that advertising slogan, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going"?  Well, apply that to your business endeavor.

Many people never consider what it truly takes to be successful.  There's a passage in the bible that talks about counting the cost before you start building the barn.  Many people never count the cost of building a successful business.  Once again, in our fast-food culture, they want the get-rich-quick avenue.  They want the reward without the hard work.  And they want it now.  While it's true that wealth, and occasionally success, sometime come quickly and easily, the reality is that it usually takes time and hard work to reach the level of achievement of the top earners.

So, if you want to play like a concert pianist, be willing to put in the practice and work that's required.  Even the most talented have to pay their dues in the practice room.

And, if you want to make a lot of money and have the same level of freedom that the top earners in the network marketing and direct sales industry have, make a decision and not just a wish.  Be willing to put in the time and effort that is required, regardless of whether it's always fun or not.  If you'll do those two things, then you'll see your dreams come true.

Recently one of my favorite marketing gurus, Mike Dillard, wrote an email about not making excuses; not being a whiner or a complainer.  I love his attitude and thought the email worth sharing with all of you.

.."Walk The Line....."
- A Raving Rant By Mike Dillard
Complete With Photos.

Well Stephen, I..'m sitting here about 11:00 PM watching .."Walk The Line.." for the fourth or fifth time, and every time I do, it still inspires me.

Why?

Because it..'s about a man who followed his dream though hell and high water. He was willing to do whatever it took, and even managed to do so while battling the personal demons that haunted him and the conflicts he struggled with at home.

I want you to understand something about me, and from this day forward, I want you to take a long hard look at yourself and decided want it is that you REALLY want out of life because you..'ve got to make a choice... You either do what you need to, or you don..'t...

There is not middle ground... No .."have your cake and eat it to..".

I..'m not intelligent by society..'s standard. It took me 5 years to graduate from college with a 2.0 and my newsletters have more spelling errors than Paris Hilton has boyfriends.

I took all of my finance classes, all of my accounting classes, and all of my math classes THREE TIMES EACH, before I passed them.

But I was smart enough to know a few things that most people don..'t...

I knew enough to know, that there is no .."we..'ll do it for you.." solution to anything in life, let alone home businesses which usually prey upon those with that mentality.

I knew enough to know, that I needed to learn more if I was to get what I wanted, which is why I spent most of my college years not in class, but at Barne..'s and Noble reading .."real.." books on business.

I knew enough to know, that if I wanted to stop buying leads, I..'d need to learn how to generate my own, so I bought some books and learned how.

I knew enough to know that if I wanted to sell my business and products to people, that I..'d need to learn how to write a sales letter, so I bought some books and learned how.

I knew that if I wanted to make my own sales letters, I..'d need to learn how to make a website, so I bought some books and learned how.

I knew enough to know that if I wanted to be successful in network marketing, I..'d need to get over my fear of the phone, so I took a job that required me to make 200-300 cold calls per day, and learned how.

But here..'s the one thing I NEVER DID during the past 6 years that allowed me to go from A to Rich...

I never complained, I never whined, I never bitched, I never blamed anyone other than myself, and I never gave up because I would have rather spent my life in poverty trying than to have lived it in resignation that I didn..'t have what it took.

I don..'t want to burst your bubble, but here..'s God..'s Honest Truth...

If you want what I..'ve got, you..'ve got to be willing to do what I..'ve done.
You..'ve got to earn the right through blood, sweat, and tears, and there is NO alternative, so don..'t ever ask me or anyone else if there..'s an .."easy way.." to do something.

Are you willing to do that?

Then here..'s .."My List.."... The price I paid to get to where I am, found on the bookshelves you..'ll see pictured below...

Thing and Grow Rich
How To Win Friends And Influence People

The Aladdin Factor

Speed Enrollers

The Irresistible Offer

The Obvious Expert

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

The Science of Influence

Talking The Winners Way

The 12 Month Millionaire

How To Market A Product For Under $500

Influence: Science And Practice

Succeed And Grow Rich Through Persuasion

The Greatest Salesman In The World

The Prayer Of Jabez

The Automatic Millionaire

The Millionaire Republican

Think Like A Billionaire

Phone Power

Ultimate Guide To Networking

Magnetic Marketing

Dare To Win

The Purpose Driven Life

See You At The Top

The Wave 3 Way To Building Your Downline

The One Minute Millionaire

Quicken 2003 For Dummies

Front Page 2003 For Dummies

Pushing The Envelope

Selling To The Very Important Top Officer

Selling The Invisible

Wave 4

Striking It Rich.com

7 Habits Of Highly Successful People

Article Blue Print

Product Launch Formula

Get The Edge

Zero Resistance Living

Psycho-Cybernetics

HoloSync

Beyond Freedom

Rich Jerk

33 Days To Online Profits

Traffic Stampede

Ultimate Copywriting Seminar In A Box

Freelance Writing Success In A Box

Internet Information Marketing Players Workshop

No BS Newsletter

$4,000 A Day In Your Underwear

Magnetic Sales letters

Underground Online Marketing Seminar

Yanik Silver Mastermind Group

Ultimate Copywriting Workshop

Ultimate Marketing Plan

Zero Resistance Selling

Dominating Adsense

Championship Prospecting

The Ultimate Information Entrepreneur

Butterfly Marketing

Tax Strategies For Business Professionals

Network Marketing Lifestyles Magazine

The Ultimate Online Swipe File

Hypnotic Sales letters

Ultimate Guide To Google Adwords

Adwords123

Benciveda Bullets

Giant Headline Swipe File

Landing Page Cash Machine

Million Dollar Manual

Psychological Triggers

Power Recruiting

Million Dollar Emails

Scientific Advertising

Spiritual Marketing

Under Achiever Formula

Countless hours of conference calls

Countless email newsletters from dozens of trainers

Countless phone conversations with successful mentors

This image represents about 30% of my personal library.
The rest is on the laptop, or has taken place during phone calls.

Imagine 3 more of these images side-by-side, and then you..'ll know how much I..'ve had to personally invest in myself to get to where I..'m at...

So here..'s the bottom line...

NEVER... EVER... ask me if there..'s an easy way to generate leads, make money online, or build a downline.

Don..'t EVER ask me if .."Magnetic Sponsoring.." will work for you or your company. (Of course it will).

Don..'t EVER ask me if it..'s the only book you..'ll ever need to buy. (Of course it..'s not).

Don..'t EVER ask me why I charge what I charge for the knowledge in Magnetic Sponsoring or Traffic Formula.

Don..'t EVER whine or complain when a prospect rejects your weak phone call.

Don..'t EVER ask me if there..'s a magic pill that will change your life.
Why?

BECAUSE IT..'S JUST PLAIN INSULTING TO THOSE OF US WHO PAID THE PRICE.

STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND DO THE SAME.

Success is not the result of luck or an accident.

Success is not fast.

Success is the culmination of countless failures and endless hours of study.

But most of all... Success is worth the sacrifice.

If you..'ve read this newsletter and understood it..'s message, yet you still don..'t own a copy of Magnetic Sponsoring or Building On A Budget, then get off my list. Seriously.

You..'re kidding yourself. You..'re not willing to do what you need to do in order to be successful. It..'s called self-sabotage.

Go back to your JOB and come to peace with the fact that you..'ll always be there.

There..'s no room for excuse makers in the Fraternity of Do..'ers, and nothing I can ever teach you will bring the results you want until you get your head straight.

How do you do that?

Go read Psycho-Cybernetics. Read it over and over again until you fix your head.

Kill your excuses and accept your greatness.

Everything you need is already in you.

.."Walk The Line.." just ended... I..'m going to bed.

Until next time...

..

This is really telling it like it is.  So, for anyone out there that has or is interested in having their own home business, whether it be MLM, Direct Sales, Top Tier, Internet-Based, or whatever, quit whining, complaining, and making excuses.  Be accountable and do the work.  That's what will bring success to your endeavor.

Until next time,

Steve aka BlueCollarRichMan

I was reading through a post on the Work-At-Home-Forum and a couple of things stood out to me. 1) Some people continue to want something for nothing and 2) Those same people can't seem to recognize real value even when it's biting them in the butt!

No matter what business you decide to be a part of, whether it's a traditional brick-and-mortar or an online, home-based business, you are going to have to invest something; time or money or both!

I owned a mexican food restaurant for several years.  Believe me, that took a significant investment in both time AND money!  In the home-based business area, it's still going to take one or the other to be successful.  And investing a significant amount of both is the quickest way to success.

However, for someone with little or no funds, a quality home-based business  offers a way to have a successful and profitable business without the 100's of thousands of dollars that a traditional business usually requires.  You just have to invest your time rather than your money.

As to value, I agree that there are businesses out there that are just after your money and provide very little value in return.  But most do provide some value.  Whether or not that value is worth the financial investment is up to the individual purchaser.

However, many people only look at value in terms of the financial ROI; ie-how much money will I make?  I wonder if they ever consider other returns on their investment?  Things like training and personal development.  Often these things are worth far more than the "product" or "opportunity" that one is purchasing.

I've had access to training from the best of the best in internet marketing.  Training that would have cost me 10's of  thousands of dollars to purchase on my own was provided to me with no additional charges or fees.  I've been involved in training by people like Mike Dillard, Jeffrey Combs, and Cherie Yvette.  So, whether I had ever made a sale or not, received any commissions or not, I feel like I would have already gotten a great return on my investment.  And that return continues!

So, when you're looking into a business opportunity, whether it's a home-based internet marketing company or something else, remember two things:

1) Regardless of what the marketing hype tells you, to be successful you will have to make a significant investment of your time or your money or both and 2) Look beyond the surface to see the true ROI.

I Am....

Arguably the most powerful statement on the planet.  I Am....

I am... what?  With that statement you define who you are at the very core of your being.  You direct your sub-conscious mind to create a reality for you that is congruent with that statement.  You establish the target for the guided missile that is your mind.

Those two little words, just three letters, combined with another word of your choosing have the power to make your life abundant and prosperous, an exciting and wonderful event here on earth...  Or they can create a living hell.

The amazing and powerful thing is that we each get to choose.  You can choose what you want to combine with those two words, three letters, to create the life you want.  Unfortunately, most people never understand the power of those words.  They never grasp the concept of creating their own life.  To them life is a series of events that just happen.  They are never an active participant in their life.  They are merely flotsam amid the jetsam of the ocean of life.  (Okay, so I got a little flowery there. Excuse me.)

Let me give you a couple of examples I recently observed.

Yesterday evening I was at work (Yes, I'm still working at my J.O.B. in healthcare.  But not for much longer!).  One of my coworkers was talking to one of her friends about some problems she was currently experiencing in her life.  As she was walking away at the end of the conversation she said, "I'm such a loser."  And then she laughed.

"I'm such a loser."

That statement jumped out at me.  She had just declared to her friend, to others overhearing the conversation, to the universe, and, most importantly, to herself that she is a loser. Period.  And to top it off she laughed, adding positive emotion to the statement!

Now, those that haven't grasped the concept of a creative sub-conscious mind might think, "What's the big deal?".  The big deal is that she just set a target for her mind, a target that will help her to continue to have problems and failures in her life.  And she added positive emotion to it, which makes the target even stronger.

You see, your sub-conscious doesn't have the ability to discern whether the target you give it is good or bad for you.  It's just the target.  As far as the sub-conscious mind is concerned, any target will do.  It's like the guidance system on a missile.  The guidance system doesn't decide what it's aimed at.  It doesn't choose what it's aimed at.  It doesn't even care what it's aimed at.  It's job isn't to set the target.  It's job is to guide the missile to the target.  And that's all.

Now, it's very good at that job.  Set the target and it WILL hit it.  But don't set a target and it has no idea where to go.  Launch a missile without setting a target and it just spews off into the air, landing who knows where.

Too many people are like that, they are simply spewing off into air without consciously setting any target.  Then when they land somewhere they don't like, ie poverty, jail, dead-end job, etc., they are upset.  They're angry. Life's unfair.  They don't understand that the problem is within themselves.  They never set a target.

You see, it's the conscious minds job to set the target.  And it has to decide whether the target is good or bad for itself.  Whether it will be a benefit or detriment.  Whether it will help or hurt.

Back to the guided missile analogy. The guidance system, ie the sub-conscious mind, will guide the missile to the target. It doesn't matter if the target is an enemy bunker or a school full of children.  The guidance system doesn't care.  It's job isn't to decide whether hitting the target is good or bad.  It's job is just to hit the target.  It's the person setting the target for the guidance system, ie your conscious mind; it's their job to decide whether the target is good or bad.

Another example I recently overheard...

My girlfriend was talking to one of her old friends.  They were catching up on old times.  My girlfriend asked her friend if she had internet.  She wanted to get her email address so she could email her some pictures.  Her friends immediate response was, "I'm poor."

"I am poor."

Just those words.  Just those three little words.  Only seven letters.  Yet so powerful.  A declaration of... what? Poverty?  Who wants that?  Yet, in essence, that's what she was saying.  At least that's what her sub-conscious mind heard.  That's what the universe heard.  That's the target she has unwittingly set for herself.

She just as easily could have simply said, "No, I don't have internet."  A direct answer to a direct question.  But she said, "I'm poor."  That tells me that down deep she sees herself as poor.  So, she'll always live in lack.  Why?  Because that's how she sees herself.  That's the target she's set for her sub-conscious mind.

The most powerful drive in the human being isn't the drive for food, or shelter, or even sex.  It's the drive in the sub-conscious to create a reality that is congruent with the beliefs and targets that have been established for it by the conscious mind.  And the sub-conscious is very good at it's job.  Very, very good.

Hopefully, you've begun to see how important it is to be consciously aware of your words and beliefs, to be intentional about what you say.  And to be especially aware of what you combine with those two little words...

I AM...

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