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We are in the best of times and the worst of times for MLM . . . Jobs are scarce, and many people are facing employment insecurity. Time freedom and income freedom, which used to give us our *sex appeal* as an industry, have shifted in their impact. Regular jobs sometimes offer flex-time, which puts a J-O-B on a par with our industry, and the income freedom that you are seeking has remained elusive for many, where as a salary, however meager it may be, is predictable.

Ask yourself these questions: 1. Where is your company headed? (Mission statement, leadership, integrity issues . . .) 2. What is your life mission? 3. Do you have a genuine, trusted role model who exemplifies true devotion to the company and its substance? 4. Is your *mentor* successful on the level you*re striving for? 5. Who is your target audience? 6. How appealing does your product/service appear if you remove the compensation? 7. What is your basis of emphasis --- is it about *you* or *them*? 8. How are you planning to upgrade your lifestyle when you double your income? 9. Do you have a clear-cut work program designed to generate your immediate and short-term goals? 10. Is your belief locked in enough to sustain you through disappointments and setbacks? 11. Are you willing to learn to lead from the back of the room? 12. Are you patient? Answering these questions should give you clarity about what you want and what you*re willing to sacrifice to make it happen.

Beginning this business, you are entering what I call the Bun Syndrome. My husband, Taylor Hegan, and I always have what we refer to as *a lot of buns in the oven.* We*ve got *buns going in* (new distributors), *buns cooking* (beginning builders), *buns browning* (leaders developing) and *buns leaving the oven* (advanced leaders on the way to millionaire status). As we are not in the *convincing business,* we expect our team members to participate in leadership mentoring and follow through with commitments on their own. I want to recommend to you a book that I have gleaned insights from and that has expanded my thinking, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell.

Ask yourself one more question, *If you continue to think like you*ve always thought, you'll continue to get what you*ve always gotten. Is it enough?* As I continue to re-invent myself as an industry leader, I realize that I cannot ask people to do what I am not currently doing, nor can I expect them to exceed the pace I set. Even though we have earned over five million dollars with our company and worked our way to the # 1 distributorship production level, we still execute all the elements of the business and continually field test to see what is effective in today's marketplace.

Everything works some of the time and nothing works all of the time. We must be ever vigilant to examine ways of expanding when the economy fluctuates. It is imperative that you stay open to breakthrough thinking and give the industry a three-year internship commitment. Then, get ready for the most thrilling time of your life.

The MLM business is fun, lucrative, creative, non-discriminatory, rewarding, people-oriented and ever-changing. If you want to attach yourself to a career with no ceiling--- you have come to the right place. As a former schoolteacher, I have to pinch myself when I think about the lifestyle that Taylor and I now lead. I make more in a month than I used to make in a year. As you consider your MLM future, remember: *You cannot be anything outside of yourself greater than you are within.* If you truly want to become a millionaire in this business, your own mindset and behavior must reflect financial success. Remember: *likes* attract *likes* and *winners* gravitate toward other *winners.* There is room for you in our MLM winners* circle if you earn your rightful place by becoming a top producer. It is all about LUCK: L aboring U nder C ertain K nowledge The best part is--- you create your own luck.

Copyright 2005 Eileen Silva