PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BUILDS YOUR BUSINESS

Personal Development is THE main secret to building a large business organization, not only in MLM – Network Marketing – Home based businesses but in your own biggest business – your life.

A fact I have observed over my long career directly confirms the foregoing statement. A person never grows in the outer world until they grow in the inner world, or until you grow in your own personal development, you never accomplish much in the real world.

Jeff Olson has long made an observation about personal development and MLM – he says, “We don’t have a business opportunity, we have a personal development program delivered by the vehicle known as a business opportunity.” or “We don’t have a business opportunity, we have a personal development program wrapped around a business offering.”

Early on in my career, as a matter of fact from the very first day, I was pleased to learn my  recruiter-mentor literally required each of his personally sponsored recruits to read some positive literature, or listen to a useful recording, on a regular basis, daily if possible.

I have also been blessed by having parents that urged each of us to read good books, as well as raised us with positive reinforcement. I’ve always heard, “You can do it!” “You can be anything you want to be, if you just decide to be whatever it is.” “You can do anything you can conceive of, and believe.”

When I became aware of authors of personal development books I literally sought them out, went to meet them and developed ongoing relationships with many of them. I met Zig Ziglar in 1967, Jim Rohn in 1976, Paul Meyer in 1979, Brian Tracy in 1986, Dennis Waitley in 1986, Jeff Olson first in 1990 – renewed our relationship in 1996 and a host of others in the last two decades. My personal library consists of upwards of 4,000 books, of which I have read 99.9% of them, and scores of tapes, cd’s,(my automobile is my graduate university) and dvd’s.

So, my belief system received definite reinforcement when my mentor “required” me to read good personal development material.

I’m putting this page up to make each of you aware of resources I have used to grow personally in my life and to sharpen my skills for my business.

Good Books – The Foundation of Personal Development

1.) I recommend The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson as THE foundational work, essential to all networkers to read and re-read.  Even though my path started with other books I urge you to start with this one – if you are new – and I also urge you – if you have been in the business for any length of time – GRAB A COPY OF THIS BOOK! Jeff’s premise is – a person does not have to be 10% better than any other to have huge  success, they just have to be a little better. He teaches that we make decisions many times a day, small simple decisions, however, his Slight Edge formula says when we make those decisions it is easy to make a small decision in favor of what will be in our best interest in the long run, and it is also just as easy to make that decision in favor of something we want to do instead of something that is best for us. Our decision today will have a great impact on our life that day, but day in and day out if we continue to make a decision that is not in our best interest in the long run, then we reap the outcome with the accumulated effect over a long period of time.

For example, what if you just do not want to go out and meet 2 new people to give a cd on your product/opportunity today and you do nothing. What is the effect of that action? Today – nothing. It will not affect your overall results when compared to the 365 days you have in a year to take that action. BUT, what if you continue to make that decision day in and day out? Will your business grow? NO! and you wind up being one of those naysayers about mlm – “Oh, mlm?  Nah! Doesn’t work, don’t waste your time!” When in truth IT IS YOU WHO DOESN”T WORK!

Jeff’s book will help you through that understanding and guide you on a daily basis to make slight edge decisions. My copy is dog eared, stained, creased, crumpled and it is wonderful!

2. Napoleon Hill‘s Think and Grow Rich is my next overall favorite. I have gone through a number of copies of this book because in 30 years I have literally used them up! I do have a favorite issue, though, and it is the Think and Grow Rich Action Pack. It consists of the book and a workbook for each chapter that is very thorough and promotes understanding of the principals contained in the specific chapters. I have given this book to many people over the years, with the hopes they will actually read and engage in the work book included in the pack. Hill discusses the success principals of the most successful people of his era, and they are universal with any successful person no matter the era. Use Hill to cut a long learning curve off of your development.

3. David Swartzs’ The Magic of Thinking Big is actually the first book I read after signing up in 1980. Why? Because my recruiter/mentor gave me the copy and said, “Read this book, now.” I am glad he did.  Even though it is written for that particular era, it is still applicable to all, even the techies (of which I are one! lol!) of today.  The book opened my eyes to BIGGER possibilities, a bigger more universal scope of the nature of my wishes/wants/desires/goals. Jim Rohn, says (paraphrased) “Why come to the well and make a small request? Go to the Ocean and make a Huge request!” I agree with him.

4. John Maxwell’s Roadmap to Success has got to be in my top ten books of all time. Maxwell writes with such clarity you finish a book written by him and you have a clear understanding of where you need to go, what you need to do, and how to do it. You actually could not go wrong just reading the rest of his books when you finish this one.

5.) As a Man Thinketh by James Allen is one of the absolute musts for anyone to read, and re-read, and re-read in conjunction with Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge. Why?

As a Man Thinketh is a marvelous work about how the subconscious mind drives the conscious mind a little bit at the time, everyday, persistently and consistently toward what the subconscious mind believes the conscious mind is wanting/seeking/hoping for and fervently desiring. The subconscious mind does this all the time, making Slight Edge decisions that result in whatever the conscious mind is wanting.

Combining and applying the proven philosophy of The Slight Edge with the understanding of the conscious mind/subconscious mind revealed in As a Man Thinketh in a minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day manner WILL result in manifesting the changes you are keeping on your mind at all times. This is not guess work, it is a fact. James Allen clearly states that you will attain whatever it is you are constantly thinking about, whether it is defeat, fear of the future/change or whether it is super success/change for the better/better circumstances for you and your family. Jeff Olson clearly illustrates how making Slight Edge decisions consistently in every case Will result in you being more (more successful, more as a person, more for your family, more for you) in every case.

Therefore, reading As a Man Thinketh, integrating that into your daily activities so that you are thinking about accomplishment instead of defeat, and reading The Slight Edge then incorporating Jeff’s philosophical methods will result in you attaining whatever it is you desire.

Enough said, simple. And as Art Williams says, “Do it!” or as Emerson said, “Do the Thing, and have the power.”

I am going to stop here for today, however I will continue with this in the very near future, so stay tuned! And thank you for your attention!

Blessings and prosperity for you on your personal journey.

Coach Ron