Let’s take care of the elephant in the room before we go too far. In the network marketing industry, it is the best profession to go from rags, to riches. It is an industry designed for that very story. However, what happens when you don’t have this rock bottom struggle? What if you are what people would call, pretty average?
Does Someone have to hit Rock Bottom to Move Others?
Absolutely not. [Sarah here] I didn’t. I came from what most would call your everyday family home. Had everything I wanted or needed growing up, and into young adulthood. I followed what you might call the traditional route. Finish school, have a great friends, an amazing family, and so on.
And, what I believe is I have inspired many people across my own professional career, right? But, my story doesn’t sell, so well — at least that’s the presumption. Whereas we sell these tougher stories, the ones that hit you in the gut – Tony’s story for example with his battle in addictions.
Now, this isn’t to say one persons struggle is worse than the next, and vis versa. But, what we don’t want people to know is that network marketing isn’t solely a story of rags to riches, it is a collection of stories about what’s possible.
Now, let us stretch your mind a little bit next ….
Who Decides what a Struggle is, and what isn’t?
Think back to a time where you believed you were going through your toughest life challenge.
Ever.
And, we are not just speaking of ones that challenged your brain either — we’re talking about a moment in time that you felt absolutely drained and defeated. You felt emotionally, physically, and spiritually spent. Guess what? Everyone, has a moment like that at some point in time.
You are not alone.
And, this struggle, these depths of utter exhaustion are where successful people are born. So you don’t have to live in a car or on the street, have less than 2 pennies a day to rub together or come from horrible circumstances. What you need to dig down deep for are those moments where you were taught something.
Somewhere in the most challenging time of your life (identified by you), you pulled your way out. In that heartbreak, loss, failed business, etc. you were taught a lesson that there is no price tag for. You see, that’s two-fold;
- No one would want to pay that price you paid and,
- What you learned or gained from that moment, is priceless.
But the key here is actually taking the time to recognize that there is a lesson to be learned.
Here are the facts: you will not find a single success story, one that you can be inspired by and respect, that doesn’t include life-changing adversity. Regardless of how it presents itself.
Still, when you’re in the thick of it, it’s not easy to see the lessons through the reminders of your pain.
So, here are 5 steps that will hopefully help you keep moving forward the next time you find yourself hitting what seems to be rock bottom.
Things Could be Worse
Cliche? Yes … but true. There’s a saying that goes something like this — your worst day, is someone’s best day. Try to keep this in focus the next time you are feeling that defeated and exhausted feeling. Try to focus on the fact that things will get better and if this is as ‘bad’ as it gets, you are good to go!
You are far Stronger than you Think
Strength, resilience, perseverance all qualities that will help you rise to new occasions. There are skills and/or attributes that will help you overcome any obstacle in your way. Much of this falls around the ability to adapt and adjust. When faced with absolute tragedy, struggle or what feels like the end of the road, take a moment and yes, it will be hard but ask yourself this …
What is this here to teach me?
To some degree, this is a great way of facing the pain head on in instances you would feel like avoidance would be the answer. We promise you, it’s not. And what’s funny is, in one way we’re asking you to take comfort in the fact that others are struggling too … right? But please know that knowing you are not alone supersedes that notion.
Quit Judging yourself so Harshly
Think back to a time when someone close to you, hurt you unintentionally. Maybe it was one of your staff members, or a close friend. Chances are you didn’t go beating them up after this instance right? You have even gone as far as asking them what they learned from this, or how it can be avoided next time.
You are the closest thing to yourself! And yet, for some reason we’re OK with beating ourselves up. Our ask is this, recognize that you are going to make mistakes it is all part of being human. However, you are going to choose not to dwell or live inside those mistakes — you are going to treat yourself the way you would treat someone else who hurt you.
Celebrate the Wins!
Additionally, celebrate every win! Big, small, and all things in between. In our Facebook Community, we celebrate something called ‘Wednesday Wins’. It is designed to help others celebrate themselves. This has proven to be incredibly effective and a great strategy to implement for yourself.
Give yourself credit for being where you are today and where you will be tomorrow. All too often people are caught up in this circle of negativity — step out of that and into a much happier place!
And last, and certainly not least …
Let it Go
Now, this one is important. When we use the term let it go, we are not asking you to forget the struggle. What we are suggesting is that you let go of the ideology that you can change what happened. Because, guess what? You can’t. However what you can do is be reminded of that dark place, and find strength is knowing you never want to go back there. You can take the lessons you’ve learned (and are learning) and apply them to the actions you take today.
Overall, we hope these few things will help get you through the tougher times. Because, in this industry there will be tough times but your story deserves to be heard, shared and built upon.
