“Tim, what did you do when you first started in this business?”

I’ve received this question many times and had never felt I could add any value to my readers by answering it so I never have. Even at live events when asked this question I dismiss it by stating that it’s irrelevant as the conditions today are different. By conditions I mean, when I started the objections I received were slightly different than today, I mailed VHS videos, there weren’t purchased leads then, instead I ran newspaper ads, we have the Internet today, etc.

But while reading several questions that have come in it occurred to me that while some conditions have changed over the years, ONE main one has not. And perhaps it’s this one thing that people are really asking me. This “thing” hasn’t changed in the 15 years I’ve been in M.L.M nor is it likely to change in the next century.

The “thing” I’m talking about is the answer to the question, “Will I?”, versus “Can I?” Put another way, “Will I do it?” versus “Can I do it?”

The reason I point this out is that when I joined M.L.M I most certainly could not do it. But, I was willing to do those things which I evidently couldn’t do based on my results! This also defines for me who I sponsor and work with versus who I don’t sponsor and work with.

I truly believe that the difference between success and failure is one’s ability to see and recognize the difference between “Can I?” and “Will I?” If one asks themselves “Can I do it?”, then the answer is normally “No.” That leads to either not starting at all or quitting.

For me, I realized the difference as a boy.

When I was about 10 years old I read the first book of my life. It was and still is the greatest inspirational book I’ve ever read. I’ve read the book over 100 times. It’s called “Where The Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls.

The story is about a boy who lives in the country and really wants two coon hunting dogs. The personal development part is in chapter three and is about what he goes through to earn enough money to buy his dogs and then later how and what he does to train his dogs to hunt.

The boy in the story and I had a lot in common. I too lived in the country and was fascinated by raccoons - that’s why I was willing to read the story. Also, my family didn’t have a lot of money just as the boy in the story - this made me feel like there was someone like me.

I didn’t use the book to figure out how to get two coon hunting dogs, I used it to get a bicycle. It wasn’t just any bike; it was a top of the line 10 speed with disc brakes - which was the first bicycle with disc brakes.

I sold worms to the local fishing store for $1.50, I picked blackberries for $3.00 a bucket, I mowed yards for $5.00, I raked leaves for $7.00 and I cleaned up construction sites for $10. I did this for two years to get enough money for the bike. The day I brought that bike home and rode down the street feeling the wind on my face with tears in my eyes was the day I realized that my dreams do come true and that victory is worth the effort.

That event set in motion a “success formula” for me.

What I learned from the book and my success in getting the bike had much to do with my success in wrestling and in the military. It also had as much to do with the success in my M.L.M career as all the detailed training I’ve provided for you thus far and in the future. My point really is, if it hadn’t have been for that inspiration, I don’t know if I would have even joined M.L.M or would have ever come up with the training that has helped so many.

So, what did I do in the beginning of my M.L.M career that is timeless?

#1. I realized that I was again in a situation where it was evident that I didn’t know how to do it - but as before I wouldn’t let that stop me.

#2 I realized that as before EVERYTHING looks confusing and impossible - that’s just how everything looks in the beginning. The trick is to take a big chunk of stuff that’s confusing and cut it in half; once I understand the first half, pick up the other half and figure that out.

#3 I realized I was to keep my eye on the goal, not on the little problems like people saying no and people quitting. When focused on getting my first bike, I dug up worms for 4 hours and walked to the store only to have the owner tell me he’d only buy the night crawlers (a specific type of worm). There were hundreds of people that didn’t want me to mow their yard. When I went to buy the bike, Sears had raised the price of the bike. That set me back two months.

If you’re looking for the specific actions I took when starting my M.L.M business, you can read the document “How To Build A Huge Organization Part Time”, which is the first article you get when subscribing to this newsletter. (If you’re not subscribed yet, you can do so here
http://www.brilliantexchange.com/mtf/timsc-nwsltr-signup.cfm)
But, please recognize that what I’m imparting to you in this newsletter is that it isn’t JUST about specific actions.

You have got to be able to dream. You have got to be able to be inspired.

The most difficult situation I ever face when training another person in M.L.M is when that person cannot or does not allow themselves to be inspired. To me a person who can not create inspiration or get inspired has one foot in the grave.

In my view a person stops dreaming and stops allowing themselves to be inspired because they don’t believe in themselves to do what they say they will do. This person has to start back on simple things that are not very challenging and “prove” to themselves that they can and will do what they say they will do. In other words, they need to go back and create that “success formula” I wrote about above. A couple of examples would be - “I will wake at ____ time and get up.” “I will go to bed at _____ time.” “I will eat only _____ today.” “I will make 5 phone calls today.”

Imagine the person who says (to himself) that he will do these simple tasks then doesn’t. Each item is insignificant at face value. However, it’s perhaps the most damaging thing in the world because now the person doesn’t believe in himself. That in my view is how a person ceases to dream, thus ceases to live.

Dream it, create it, enjoy it!

Tim Sales




For more in-depth information on this topic study the Professional Inviter lecture series by Tim Sales.