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Creating a "Chain Reaction" of Abundance
 (Originally published in Upline magazine in January, 2000)
Okay... you're in this wonderful industry of network marketing... involved with a company that provides you the opportunity for an experience of abundance in your life that you've not had before....and it's all going to happen ONE DAY - right?
Once you've achieved a particular level in your compensation plan or once your paycheck is $$$$ each month – then life is going to start being wonderfully abundant, right? You'll have time to enjoy your family and friends, you may be able to quit that job you've been hating, your spouse will be able to stay home with your children, you'll be able to exercise, wear nice clothes, live in a nice home, travel, give to your favorite charities, and so on and so on... right?
Yeah, you can taste it and feel it already... that day, SOME DAY when life will be wonderfully abundant....
I hate to interrupt your reverie and good feelings, but I have to ask – What about today? What about your abundance today? What's your life like today?
If you're like most, your reply may be something like "I've got to prospect/follow up with lots of people", "I've got to really work on and build my business", "life is pretty busy and crazy with work and family and this business", "there's never enough time for all that needs to be done", etc. Not exactly the abundance of your dreams, huh? And there's probably not enough money for all you want to do either - after all, that's why you're in network marketing, isn't it?
Because once you succeed in network marketing everything will change...right?
WRONG!!!
Yes, you are involved in a business that provides an incredible opportunity for you to have abundance in your life. However, here's the "catch". If you aren't abundant today, you can bet that you won't have be in the future either – no matter how much money you make.
So before you read any further or make one more prospecting call or follow up call, stop for a moment. Pour yourself a cup of tea and curl up in a comfortable spot. Let's talk about how to become abundant in this industry called Network Marketing and, most importantly, in your life - TODAY.
Becoming Abundant TODAY...
If you are like most of us in western culture (both networkers and non-networkers), you probably have the conscious or unconscious belief that in order to BE abundant, you have to DO something. In fact, the general "formula" most of us know for abundance is that we have to DO something in order to HAVE something so that we can BE abundant.
In network marketing, this "formula" might sound like this: "I need to DO the following: make phone calls, send prospecting kits, go to trainings, work hard, enroll others, sponsor people, etc. If I DO these things, I will HAVE more customers, more people in my downline, more sales, more commissions, more money, a residual income, etc. When I HAVE these things, then I will BE abundant."
While much of this may be true, the only problem with this formula is that it seems like the "DO-ing" stuff is never done and so we never get around to the HAVING or BEING...or when we do, it's never enough and/or we feel guilty because there's still so much to DO....
Does this sound familiar?
I thought it might.
Focusing your efforts, energy, and attention on the DOING first is a set-up for scarcity and will NEVER bring abundance. "Scarcity" is the EXACT OPPOSITE of abundance and the only thing that can result from scarcity is MORE scarcity!
So, how can you change this "set-up for scarcity" in your business and your life? It's actually quite simple (which is not always the same as "easy"). The "formula" for abundance is exactly opposite! You must BE abundant first; then you will HAVE opportunities, contacts, possibilities, connections, ideas, interest in your business, etc. The natural response to these opportunities is to DO what's called for, to take action. This cycle of BE-HAVE-DO then continues, expanding your abundance in the process.
Before I show you what I mean...How is that cup of tea tasting?
Is taking a break to curl up in a comfortable place with a cup of tea in the midst of all your activities an unusual action for you?
Stop reading for a moment. Put this article down (ONLY for a MOMENT, however!) and look around you. Notice the environment around you... what do you see? How are you feeling at this moment?
Take a deep breath.
Take ANOTHER!
Now... as you look around the room and sip on your tea, I'd like you to speak out loud ten (that's right – 10!) things for which you are grateful in this moment! Think of the people in your life. Think of the comfort of your home. Think of the beauty in the world around you. Do NOT stop until you have spoken ten things aloud and have noticed how you feel when you're done... Then come back to this article....
I MEAN IT! STOP READING FOR A MOMENT AND TAKE THIS ACTION!
Congratulations!
How are you feeling now?
Have you noticed a shift (great or small) in your energy, in your sense of being more balanced or calm or fulfilled?
Imagine if you could feel this way each and every moment of a day? How abundant would life feel then?
How much more effective do you think your prospecting conversations would be if you had this type of energy when you talked with people?
You have just experienced one of the most powerful ways you can shift out of the scarcity-based "DO-HAVE-BE" formula into the abundance formula of "BE-HAVE-DO". And that is to use one of the oldest success principles of time – the concept of FOCUS....
You see, this age-old success principle is rather simple. It states that whatever your thoughts focus on the most is what will show up the most in your life. Since most of us – unknowingly – focus on scarcity most of the time, scarcity is what continues to show up. And most of the actions (DOing) we take while we're in scarcity only serve to create more scarcity.
How might this play out in your network marketing business? Well, what are some of the scarcity thoughts you may often focus on – albeit unconsciously - prior to reading this article?
One type of scarcity thinking is "not enough" thinking. Here are some common "not enough" thoughts:
- I don't have enough time
- I'm not making enough money in this business
- I don't have a big enough downline
- I'm not working the business hard enough
- I don't talk to enough people
- I'm not outgoing enough for this business
- I'm not committed enough
- I'm not a good enough network marketer
Do any of these thoughts (or ones like it) sound familiar?
Unfortunately, they are representative of the thoughts of far too many network marketers. And any time you have one of these scarcity thoughts, scarcity almost always shows up. After all, have you ever noticed that when you think you "don't have enough time" that you usually don't?
There are other types of "scarcity thoughts" that regularly come up when it comes to network marketing. At this time, however, it's most important for you to understand that any scarcity thought you have prevents you from BEing abundant today.
Any scarcity thought has you think that you have to DO something first before you can BE abundant and, in so doing, sets you up for struggle, fear, hard work, and scarcity in your business (and life!).
Let's say that you have the scarcity thought that you are not a good enough network marketer. How is that going to affect your prospecting? Many of you may not even make any calls to prospect or follow up with people because of this thought – which sure sets up scarcity when it comes to this business, doesn't it? And if you never prospect people or do so from a lack of self-confidence, it's a good chance you will never build a very big downline, agreed? And, of course, that just proves you're not a good enough network marketer, doesn't it?
You are trapped in a chain reaction of scarcity!
Maybe you have the scarcity thought of "I'm not making enough money". Despite this, of course, what you need to do (if you are ever going to make more money) is to prospect and enroll people into a business where they can make incredible amounts of money, right? However, if you're not making enough money – what's that going to do to your confidence? And if that's your thought, how will you respond when someone asks you how you're doing in the business? Many of you may actually AVOID prospecting people out of fear that this question may come up!
Again, you are trapped in a chain reaction of scarcity!
The good news is that scarcity thinking is not necessary!
We can "re-train" our thoughts to FOCUS ON THE ABUNDANCE AROUND AND WITHIN US – and in so doing, BEcome abundant today and set off a chain reaction of abundance. As I said before, out of your BEing abundant today, you will have HAVE opportunities, ideas, prospects on which to act or DO things that will continue and expand your abundance.
Abundance is a process of BEcoming... a process of learning, of living, of BEing all things that are congruent with abundance.
This is a time of new beginnings. A New Year. A New Decade. A New Century. A New Millennium. As Anthony Robbins once wrote, "The past doesn't equal the future."
No matter the level of scarcity, frustration, struggle, discouragement, fear you have experienced in the past (in this business and/or life), it does not have to be that way forever. It can begin to change TODAY.
It's up to you – are you ready to take new actions for abundance? Are you ready to BE abundant and HAVE the abundance and success you are meant to have?
The doorway through which you must pass is the doorway of ACTION. Not the same "scarcity based" actions you've done before. It's time for you to learn and integrate into your life "actions of abundance".
Are you ready?
Great! I thought you would be! So let's get started! The actions of abundance for this month are actions that support you in BEing abundant, no matter your present situation. These are actions that must become as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth and/or washing your face. Have fun with them! BE abundant this month!
As for me – now I'm going to pour myself a cup of tea. I'll "see" you next month!
Abundance Actions to Take
1. Keep a Journal of Abundance & Acknowledgment
On a daily basis, write in a small notebook the following two sentences: "Today I am grateful for....." AND "Today I acknowledge/praise myself for...." Record EXACTLY ten (10) entries in response to each (that's 10 "gratitudes" and 10 "acknowledgments"). The entries can be for "big" or "small" things. I often acknowledge myself for washing my face before bed because I usually don't want to! This exercise is specifically designed to have you begin to focus your thoughts – daily – on the abundance around and within you. It will shift your energy and your reality. So will the next exercise.
2. IAMNOWHERE
What do you see? Do you see the phrase "I am nowhere" or "I am now here"? Write/type this exact same phrase (without spaces between the letters) and post it on your bathroom mirror. Notice the difference in energy and self-empowerment you feel when you focus on "I am nowhere" vs. "I am now here". The first is scarcity based – the latter supports abundance. The only thing that changes is your FOCUS.
3. Have FUN everyday!
Having FUN every day connects you with the energy of abundance – you will feel abundant! Having fun does NOT require a lot of time or money! Find some way to PLAY each day! Do a somersault, skip around the room, blow up a balloon, read a novel, watch a movie! If you're not having fun every day, why would anyone want to join your business?
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