Why Are You Here?

Despite what the ad copy on most MLM sales pages tells you, this business is NOT easy. While everyone has their own learning curve, it generally takes a tremendous amount of solid planning and hard work to realize a profit with network marketing.

A big problem in this business is a lack of honesty. I’m not talking about scam artists or crooks here. I’m talking about the inability of individuals to be honest with themselves and realistic about what they want to achieve.

You may be an affiliate marketer who wants to build big in opportunity systems that are owned by other people. Or, perhaps you are someone who wants to sell your own products and services.

There is good money to be made with either path. Personally, I believe the intelligent use of both affiliate programs and products that you own is the best approach to making money in the network marketing niche.

But before you continue with this train of thought, I’d like you to take just a couple of minutes to consider why you are here in the first place. And don’t say “to make money”.

There are lots of ways to make money. But for some reason, you have chosen this field over countless other options. Look deep down and find the real reason you are here.

It’s funny how so many people get stumped by this very simple exercise. Don’t make a mountain out of an ant hill; just be honest with yourself about what brought you here.

I’ll give you my reasons, just so you can see where I'm coming from with this.

I’m here because I don’t have what it takes to be an underpaid employee for the next 40 years of my life. I lack the fortitude required to work my butt off for less than what I’m worth, and then retire to a sub-quality lifestyle.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m slightly smarter than the average bear, and I’m not afraid of hard work. I just can’t get into the right frame of mind for doing all the work and letting someone else take most of the money.

For many years I felt guilty about my disposition, and struggled to bring my attitude in line with the status quo. Maybe I just had a chip on my shoulder, and needed to get in touch with a greater sense of responsibility.

Then one day, while working as a temp for UPS, I had an epiphany. The driver and I were in the process of unloading, by hand, a large box. It occurred to me about midway through the 200 pounds, while I was ruining my already compromised back that I was not optimizing the potential for the return on my efforts. I could not live with that math!

I made a habit of calculating how much money I made the companies I worked for. I figured I rather pay the expenses of my own vision than be the expense of someone else's. Then I can have the profits and actually build wealth. To be clear, I’m not saying there is anything morally astray about this. In fact, I have had an employer or 2 who actually treated the employees like human beings.

I’m just not the kind of guy who can shake this stream of logic once it starts bouncing around inside my skull. The fact is profits are much better than wages no matter how you try to rationalize the equation.

When I shared these thoughts with the driver, he shrugged and told me it was “just a job” and that I was “thinking too much”. This came as no surprise; it was a pretty common frame of mind.

I’m not cut out for the nine-to-five grind, because I feel strongly about working for my prosperity and not toiling away to build someone else salary. I also don’t care for the idea of planning my day entirely around an agenda that fails to serve my best interests. My time is just that… MINE.

Plus, I enjoy the idea of helping others for the benefit of both parties. Add to this the fact that I love the challenge of trying to attract people to my offers, when there are thousands of other propositions to choose from, and network marketing on the world-wide-web becomes a perfect fit for me.

So there it is in a nutshell. That’s why I’m here.
Now it’s your turn. This may seem trivial to you, but I promise the exercise I’m suggesting is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Understand your why!