Hillary Isn't Doing It, And You Shouldn't Need To Either

Why 'affirmations' have no place in the life of a successful leader...

Strengthening Your Belief…Or…?

I have to be honest with you. I always thought affirmations were kind of silly. I didn't use them my first few months with my last MLM company, but as time went on and the mindless dialing and follow-up was starting to take its toll on me, I found myself turning to daily affirmations for strength, just like everyone else.

And it did help to tell myself I was "an abundantly blessed woman" and that "the lead and cash flow were strong" (even though they were not). It did help build my confidence and belief...at least until the next abusive prospect screamed in my ear and slammed down the phone on me. Then the good feelings quickly evaporated and it was back to square one...(meaning MORE affirmations).

On bleak days like these (and they were many), the advice from my upline was to say my affirmations repeatedly out loud - a minimum of five times a day -- to "strengthen my belief".

(I remember this one girl on my team...she had this special little song of encouragement she would sing to herself any time someone hung up on her. It always struck me as terribly sad...even back then when I was just as brainwashed as her.)

The Real Reason For All The Hype

This brings another thought to mind: Have you ever considered why it is that the events put together by MLM companies are always so full of hype and practically free of any substance? There are flickering lights, loud music, touching "success stories", "incredible" product launches, "before-and-after-I-got-rich" pictures...plenty of all that.

All designed to get you (back) on your emotional high. To keep you sucked in. To get you wound up enough to keep going until the next event - where it all starts all over again.

Let's face it. The reason it's all fluff and no substance is because, for the most part, your leaders don't really have anything to teach you. Like you, the people up on stage are just pawns in the larger corporate puzzle.

They don't know the first thing about marketing.

As one prominent leader in one of my former MLM companies confessed: "I don't know anything about building a business. If, today, you asked me to do it all over again, I would be just as clueless as I was back then."

She had been with her company for 11 years and was making over six-figures. Yet she wasn't afraid to flaunt her ignorance. In fact, she used it as a line of reasoning whenever she spoke to a prospect: "So you see, if I can do it, YOU can do it too!"

Right.

The reason affirmations are given so much emphasis in MLM is the same reason the events are so overrated. It's because so many people are struggling.

Just think about it:

When your downline is dissolving and after twelve months you aren't any closer to financial freedom than the day you got started, when low-quality leads continue to suck your energy and your bank account, when you have no friends or family members left to recruit, when you are drained, disillusioned, and mildly depressed, then you really do need something to offset all the negativity.

You need a 'lift' of some kind, so that you're actually physically able to drag yourself back to your desk and pick up that 100 lbs phone one more time to dial the next loser. And that's also why you need the dream board and the positive sayings posted around your workplace.

The harder it is to build your business, the more of all that stuff you need.

Why Hillary Isn't Doing It 

Now, STOP for a minute and ask yourself this question:

If you, on the other hand, are seeing real, tangible results from your efforts, if you are getting paid what you're worth (and YOU are the one who decides what you're worth, by the way), if you love what you do, and if you feel proud of your business and good about yourself and what you have to offer -- do you need those daily affirmations? NO!

You don't need to try and talk yourself into feeling a certain way if you ALREADY feel that way...naturally! You see, real belief is simply the byproduct of real results!

Do you think that before she goes out on the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton (or any other serious politician) stands before the mirror and proclaims to herself, " I am an abundantly blessed woman...the voters are loyal...it is inevitable...I AM the nominee."?

Of course not... She already has the confidence; she doesn't need to fake it!

And neither do you...

If you find it necessary to constantly turn to affirmations to strengthen your belief, I suggest you instead STOP and ask yourself why your business is not producing for you the results you are looking for.

Are You Winning The Race?

In my particular case it was the marketing system. The company’s marketing system was broken beyond repair. And for me the solution was to switch companies. Not because I didn’t like the first company’s products – in fact, I loved them. My leaving had nothing to do with the products. Matter of fact, I still use the products today, daily, that’s how excellent I think they are!

No, the reason I left was because I one day woke up and realized that -- if continuing to operate the vehicle my leaders had provided me with -- I just might never make it to the finish line. The vehicle they had given me was so old and rusty it was barely running. And what I wanted and needed, was a race car.

I don’t know what the root of the problem is in your case, but I urge to examine it closely. If you are struggling, I mean, REALLY struggling, my educated guess is that it has little or nothing to do with your belief…or lack thereof.

You may not be running for President but, like it or not, you're in a race nonetheless. A race against multitudes of other MLM'ers, products, opportunities, sales pitches, offers and compensation plans that compete relentlessly for your prospects' attention. That's pure fact.

Do YOU know how to take them all on?

Nothing else that you do is going to matter if you don't first find the answer to that question. 

Lena Bjorna is an actress-turned-network-marketer, specializing in Internet marketing and personal branding. She and her team of marketing professionals offer serious but struggling entrepreneurs a step-by-step guide to true financial freedom. For FREE info and email boot camp, go to http://LenaBjorna.com and http://NewCoffeeHouseLetter.com