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I just got off the phone with one of my friends and leaders, and it inspired me so much to hear the fire in his voice and the excitement he is experiencing as he is out building his business full speed.  It reminded me of an old CD I did years ago called, "Life in the Zone."

The concept is best illustrated by professional athletics.  One can see "The Zone" on display readily, from time to time.  Being in "The Zone" results from the hunger, preparation, and determination of a professional, when he or she has worked hard enough, dreamt long and big enough, and prepared enough to know they deserve to win.  Even when the pressure mounts, they know they will find a way to pull the game out of the jaws of defeat and produce a win.  Even when the stress is massive, and the crowd noise is deafening, and their physiology isn’t quite right (Michael Jordon and his fever, etc), the player "In the Zone" still asks for the ball and gets it done.

This is the mode my friend is in right now, and it is a blast to watch him perform.  He has a clear goal burning in his eyes, he does the work, prepares to win, and has serious momentum on his side.  This is all becasue he EXPECTS to win.  He has worked hard enough, and focused strongly enough, that he knows he DESERVES to win.  He isn’t out TRYING, he is out SUCCEEDING.  The two live in different worlds.  Where most people put out a little effort and "hope" for some results, warriors in the zone MAKE results happen.  And if they don’t happen right away, they keep pushing until they do, knowing that if you bang loudly enough on the door of succes, sooner or later it has to open!

I salute those of you (you special few) who are out there in the Zone right now.  And I encourage the rest of you to get into the Zone yourselves. 

I don’t know why people hesitate at the doorstep of full effort.  I don’t know why people shy away from the pursuit of accomplishment.  I don’t understand people who live their life with the throttle half closed. 

But I respect and admire those who give it their all, who persevere, who find their way into the zone and make it happen.  Congratulations to you!  May you receive all the rewards you are prepared to earn!

The only bad experience is the unevaluated experience.  Although experience gives the test first and the lesson later (John Maxwell), it would be even more tragic to have the experience and never bother to get the lesson!

The best way to evaluate our experiences, and thereby make the most of them, is to ask proper questions.  Here are a few to get your brain working:

1. What one thing could I change (or do), that would make an enormous difference/improvement in what I am doing?  Why am I not already doing it?

2. What mistake am I currently making that I may not even know about?

3. What is my biggest blind spot?

4. What is the biggest thing I have learned about myself recently?

5. What is the number one thing I am trying to change about myself right now?

That’s enough for now.  Too many questions loses the focus.  This should be enough to get you started.  Ask these types of questions of yourself on a regular basis and grow more from your experiences.

Lead on!

Wow.  That was quite a reaction to my last post on blind spots.  I would almost venture to say that we had more than three readers on that one!  I must have struck a sewer pipe, er um, I mean a nerve.

Anyway, one of your comments prompted a thought: wouldn't it be cool if we had an automatic, anonymous, electronic feedback and notification process where the brave could find out about their blind spots?  Here is what I mean.  We know that everyone around us sees and tolerates our blind spots.  And we also know that we are largely oblivious to them.  For those of us wanting to change and get better, and for those who are so oblivious to their terrible blind spots that those around them are praying and hoping and wishing that the offender would figure out the problem and deal with it, this "service" would serve to notify people of such.  Imagine getting an email that reads something like this:

Dear You:

Someone who knows you quite well, and either cares for your soul and personal growth and development, OR can't stand the way you are behaving any longer, has sent you this Electronic Blind Spot Notification (EBSN).  What they wish so desperately for you to discover is that you _________________________________________  (fill in the blank here.  It could say you are an avid overtalker, you need to stop interrupting people, you are too combative, you are self-righteous, you are selfish, you are a gossiper, you are a whiner, you smell, etc. etc. etc.) Please correct this problem immediately as the people around you can stand it no longer.  Any questions can be directed to your parents, who should have fixed this in you during your upbringing, unless they too suffer from the same malady, in which case they need a similar notification, so feel free to pass this along to them (properly personalized, of course). 

Sincerely,

Someone

There you have it: my new patent-able idea.  I think we could charge three or four dollars per EBSN, and by my calculations (let me see, do the multiplication, carry the one . . . ) this would add up to millions of dollars. 

The only problem I can see here is the hurt feelings, broken confidence, pain, regret, and embarassment this could potentially cause.  Hmmmm.  Feedback is certainly not an easy thing to accept.  I'll have to think on this one.

In the meantime, we can all look into our OWN blind spot mirrors and stop worrying about others and THEIR blind spots.  Maybe, just maybe, if we work on fixing ourselves and give others the grace and tolerance we demand they give us, everything might just get a little better.  But this would require self-discipline, courage, determination, and a growing heart.  For this, I have no patent-able ideas.  There are no electronic quick fixes.  I guess I'll just have to keep recommending that everybody listen to CDs, read good books, attend functions with other postive, like-minded people, and utilize a mentor.  After all, that seems to be working pretty good so far.

There is a saying that I have always liked: "The difference between self-perception and reality is often enormous."

The size of that difference is called a "blind spot."  Unfortunately, we all have them.  Perhaps the way you chew your food drives people crazy.  Or maybe you interrupt others constantly and annoy them as a result.  But these examples (and many others I will catalogue for some future talk!) are really just foibles; small little mannerisms that we all have that don't really reflect our character.  While it might be helpful for us to identify these blind spots in our mannerisms, these things are not "majors" in and of themselves.

What ARE majors are blind spots of character and relationships. 

I see people who live in a world full of blind spots about themselves, and these blind spots cause pain and friction. 

Why is it so hard to identify these things in ourselves?  I am not sure, but if they were easier to spot, we'd probably call them "fuzzy spots" or something. But blind spots are blind spots because they are truly unobservable to us.

UNLESS:  Unless we take the time to look.  Unless we have an open mind to mentorship.  Unless we will take responsibility, not only for our own actions, but for the results that surround us in our lives.  By looking at such evidence, we are in effect installing a "blind spot mirror" on our life.  Here is what I mean:  Let's say that in most places in your life there is conflict.  You have troubles with your mother.  You have a feud going on with your brother.  You have had a major fight with your spouse in the past thirty days.  You have people who were previously friends who don't talk to you now.  You have left churches and jobs in the past year or two because of conflict with others.  Your children are rebels.  Your neighbor is a jerk.  Your inlaws are idiots.  Your business partners and teammates are driving you crazy.  If you look at results such as these, there is only one conclusion you can make: these people are all to blame!  I know, I know, my three dear readers, you are laughing right now because nobody in their right mind could ever come to such a conclusion!  It should be as obvious as the wart on the nose on your face on the front of your skull that the problem in this scenario is the person at the center of it all!  But alas, this is why we call it a blind spot!  People can actually look at evidence like this and conclude that everybody else is to blame! 

There are people (swarms of them, bless their hearts) who are like this and see absolutely nothing wrong with themselves.  I often picture their funeral, when people gather around and whisper nice things, but think back to the pain and the hurt and wish it hadn't been that way.  If only they'd have realized how damaging they were to people.  If only they'd realized how abrasive and destructive they were.  If only they would have taken responsibility for their results and the impact they were having on the people around them.  If only they would have been open to feedback, to mentoring, to input, to the abstract possiblity that they were to blame for the poor results in their life!  If only, if only, if only . . . .

This is just one example, and a tragic one, at that.  But there are others.  Let's say the evidence suggests a lack of purpose or drive or ambition or hunger or whatever you want to call it.  You didn't get good grades at school, but that was because the teachers were uninspiring.  You didn't do well at your first job, but that was because you were discriminated against for being young.  You didn't get that promotion, but that's because you went to the wrong university.  You didn't get that exciting new project, but that's because someone else was closer to the boss.  You didn't hit that business goal, but that's because your spouse made other demands on you.  You didn't attend that big event, but that's because you had other plans.  You didn't, you didn't, you didn't.  See the pattern in this one?  Is it really the "fault" of all those outside factors, or would the person at the center of this be the cause? 

When we lay it out all logically and clinically like this it is so clear.  Everybody comes to the same conclusion and shakes their heads at the poor people with blind spots, glad that it is not them.  But what I'm here to tell you is that we all have blind spots.  And it is highly possible that our biggest blind spot is thinking that we don't have one to begin with!

And by the way, our blind spots are usually only invisible to us.  EVERYBODY else sees them clearly.

So what is your blind spot?  What does the evidence tell you?  Take this question seriously, and do something about it.  Trust me, people are praying that you will figure it out!

In the world of personal business ownership, a level of understanding must develop.  For people to take you seriously, and for you to expect adequate returns on your investment of time and effort, it is necessary to think professionally regarding your business. 

What do I mean by thinking professionally?  There is a big difference between a hobby and a profession.  A hobby requires no commitment, no sustainable effort, and is whimsical and fleeting.  A profession requires constancy of purpose, adherence to a goal, and proper conduct. 

The problem for most people with independent business ownership in an endeavor such as LIFE, the kind they run out of their home, the kind that doesn't require much initial investment (peanuts compared to "real" businesses where you can look sexy for a season, mortgage everything, and escape to bankruptcy later), is that they never really treat it like a business.  Instead, they dabble at it and treat it like a hobby.  As the saying goes, "put in hobby effort, expect hobby results.  Put in business-like effort, expect business results" (or was the saying, "don't pick your nose during church."  I can't determine which one fits best here.  I'll just leave it to reader choice).  Anyway, to expect your business to act like a business, you must treat it like a business.

The first category in which to consider this is that of activity.  In previous posts, I already wrote extensively (and excellently, I might add) about the dangers of self-deception.  People think they are working hard at their business because they think about it all the time, or they talk about it all the time, or they dream about it all the time, or they spend hours on the virtual office website waiting to see if others do something.  When in actuality, they do everything except WORK it all the time.  In fact, their calendars usually show that they hardly work their businesses at all!  In view of that, the results that they do accomplish are quite remarkable!  Just imagine if they would actually pump work ethic into the equation!

The next category is that of being properly prepared.  I can tell who is out showing plans and doing the minimum recommended monthly amount of fifteen (called "go getter") by simply looking at their product flow.  With a few computer clicks, it is pretty easy to tell who is self-deceived.  There is no way to show and share the product without the product.  "Imagine, if you will, a great tasting functional food beverage.  I'll have some for you to try as soon as my order comes in . . . ."   It just doesn't work.  So if most people are not ordering even the basic quantities of product required to properly share it with new people, then it is pretty safe to say they aren't really acting like a professional.  As the saying goes, "If you're out of product you are out of business," (Or is it, "better to get carried off with your coughing than in the coffin they carry you off in," again, you get to choose).  The lesson?  Have plenty of product on hand.  Have plenty of product on hand.  Have plenty of product on hand.  Customers are going to want to continue with the product immediately after you allow them to sample some.  And my experience has been that nearly everyone will buy a bottle or a case to start off.  New distributors are going to need the product right away if they are to have any chance of sharing it with new people.  It is your job, as a consumate professional, to maintain a proper amount of product stock to allow for both of these situations.  Remember, lead with the product.  And you can't lead with the product if you don't have the product.

The final category is one of conduct (although, I am quite sure I could come up with more categories if I felt like it).  A professional makes proper product claims and proper income claims.  All income claims must be accompanied by the official Mona Vie Income Disclosure Statement.  All product claims must stick to the corporately approved guidelines.

There.  That's quite enough already.

In summary?

Do the work!

Have enough product on hand to supply customers and new distributors.

And conduct yourself properly.

That's it.

Simple right?

THEN DO IT!!!!!

Update: I am getting a lot of comments from people realizing they have to get out and lead!  I didn't say those words in this article, exactly, but many of you got my drift.  If everybody waited around for their people to do something, (which thousands of you are), then nobody would do anything.  Don't get me wrong: there are a LOT of people just absolutely jamming out there right now!  They are the smart ones.  And they are the ones being rewarded.

This business is fast, fun, straightforward, customer-driven, in pace with today's trends, and rewarding.  I guess some of you will just wait around for something better!  (Oh, I think I just hurt myself laughing).