Headline Hype

Did anyone else catch the opening ceremonies for the 2010 winter olympics in vancouver? Years of work, thousands of people involved, timed to the last second, in my view was a thing of beauty, covering Canada’s history, culture and innovation. I really enjoyed it……….until I made the mistake of reading the headlines the next morning.

As ever, I was reminded why I don’t read the papers anymore. Reporters from various sources could dwell on what didn’t work, and what wasn’t done. The journalists had toted that the Canadian people as a whole, really had no world identity and that they were anticipating a rather lackluster opening ceremonies. Then in the same breath they gave some fleeting recognition to how many years of work and effort went into it. But I need to keep in mind that their job is to sell newspapers…and we have become a society where big headlines, and shock factor is what grabs our attention. I have watched several opening and closing ceremonies over the years, there is always a snag or two, its impossible not to have something wrong happen in such a large endevour. I choose to ignore what didn’t work and enjoy the show.

I want to bring your attention back to the slant of the journalist…..bear with me, you will see what it has to do with your network marketing business in a bit. This email “joke’ is currently circulating among my friends, and it definitely helps to emphasize the point I am hoping to make:

A Harley biker is visiting the zoo when he sees a little girl leaning into the bars of the lion’s cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents.   The biker without hesitation runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch.

Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly.
A CBC reporter has watched the whole event. The reporter addressing the biker says, ‘Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I’ve seen a man do in my whole life.’
The Harley rider replies, ‘Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt right.’
The reporter says, ‘Well, I’ll make sure this won’t go unnoticed. I’m a journalist, you know, and tomorrow’s paper will have this story on the front page… So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?’
The biker replies, ‘I’m a soldier and a Conservative.’   The journalist leaves.
The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front   page:

SOLDIER ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT
AND STEALS HIS LUNCH
That pretty much sums up the media’s approach to the news these days….it is a matter of interpretation and prespective, and what sells!

So whatever does this have to do with building your business? Well, when you are starting out in this business you make a conscious decision to pay attention to the headlines - you listen to the hype, the interpretation and you look for the leader who will deliver on your dreams. You choose to follow someone who has more experience in this field than you do, someone who has created the hype, who you perceive as the expert. Unfortunately most of those experts are floundering themselves – they have never learned to be true leaders – only masters of an illusion that sells. And so you begin your search again…looking for the success that you are sure awaits you with the right leader.

When you find your leader they will give you a template that provides the road map for your success. A leader encourages you to take the steps that are necessary to build your business. They have learned from the university of trial and error – they have made their fair share of mistakes, but have chosen to move beyond the mistakes and become successful despite the road blocks. You true leaders are the ones that don’t rely on smoking mirrors to grab your attention – they are leaders who draw you to them by adding value and committment to your success. You will find the leader who is more intent on speaking about your success than bragging about their own, they are the ones that who have heart and true intent to build with you. Look for the leader who quietly shares their experiences, encouraging you to try this or that, to avoid the pitfalls of over promising and underdelivering.

Your job is to build your business, your job is to find a leader who will guide you. Your job is to not have false hopes, not to believe in the hype and grand illusions but to be determined to build a successful buisness that will endure. You job is to wade through the hype and find the template that will allow you to make money while learning your trade, while honing your skills, while developing your leadership skills. Your job is to be mature enough to know that your leader is not going to do this for you, that you are responsible for your success, that your past failings where you fault – no one elses – not the company, not the compensation plan, not the product. You need to move past the hype, and interpretation of the snake charmers and make your decision to build a network marketing buisness.

Don’t dwell on the past – on what hasn’t worked. Instead you need to focus clearly on your goal, conquer the internet , conquer your fears, conquer your indecisiveness. One step in front of the other, deal with the reality of building a business, give it the time and energy that it deserves.

And the last bit of advice I would give you in this article: quit reading the news. It is too negative. I dont blame the reporters, its their job. I just prefer to focus on the positive. To your ongoing success!!!

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