As I’ve learned, persistence is crucial for success. Throughout my life, until recently, I had been lacking in that regard.
I was apprehensive when it came to most everything, even my decision to start a home-based business. People questioned my judgment, and I did as well.
I did not have faith.
I did not have faith in this industry, faith in people, or faith in myself.
Even though I knew deep down that the opportunity I was involved in was legit and that people were achieving massive success, I couldn’t believe that I could be one of them. Those success stories must be special people. They must have had the right amount of money to throw at this thing to make it work so good for them. I could never achieve that level of success starting with nothing.
I realized why everyone on every training call was encouraging people to go to events.
Social proof.
It’s one thing to read testimonials, watch videos and hear people on conference calls talking about there success. It is another, and has much more impact, in person when you come face to face with these people and see it in their eyes that they are sincere and telling the truth.
My first live event was the turning point for me. There was no turning back. I made a decision and decided to stick to it.
Coming home from that event, I dove into training call archives and immersed myself into the curriculum, rarely missing a live call. Inevitably I got to the calls regarding seven decisions of personal success. These decisions reinforced my commitment to myself and my business and began to replace fear with faith.
I had committed to this seventh decision (“I will persist without exception”) after reading “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews. I would persist without exception. Nothing or no one was going to stop me.
Since then, I have faced some difficult challenges which could easily knock me off my square and take me out of the game, if I had let them. I could have listened to those who think me foolish for investing so much time and what little money I had into something that appears to be too risky for most in my situation. But, I have always been a stubborn S.O.B. Nobody is going to tell me what I can and can’t do, which is not always necessarily a good thing and is probably why I’ve had so many different jobs 
I find now that that stubbornness has been useful when put to good use. It has allowed me to persist through some of the most difficult challenges in my life. It’s just another chapter in the book of Jon (from Michigan). This story will be a success story. I will see to that.
I have made the decision to persist without exception.
The monetary debts I owed to my landlord, the creditors, the State of Michigan and to anyone else for that matter, pale in comparison the debts of gratitude I have to the leaders that continue to inspire and guide me and to my mentor for his leadership, wisdom, and of course for introducing me to the seven decisions that will determine my personal success.
I have faith in myself. I will persist without exception.
“A wise man will cultivate a servant’s spirit, for that particular attribute attracts people like no other. As I humbly serve others, their wisdom will be freely shared with me. Often, the person who develops a servant’s spirit becomes wealthy beyond measure. Many times, a servant has the ear of the king, and a humble servant often becomes a king, for he is the popular choice of the people. He who serves the most grows the fastest.”
That excerpt was taken from a book by Andy Andrews called “The Traveler’s Gift – Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success.” Within the framework of what he refers to as the ‘second decision,’ it talks about seeking wisdom and knowledge in order to better serve others.
In “Magnetic Sponsoring,” Mike Dillard talks about increasing your value to others so that you may serve more people better. Become a leader that others want to follow. He states “The more valuable you become to others, the more they will seek you out.”
I have been in the home business industry long enough to know that these concepts are crucial for building any enterprise on the internet. Far too often, people are obsessed with promoting and recruiting, assuming their product, or opportunity, are so spectacular that it will sell itself if they just draw enough attention to it.
While that may be true, they are missing one key element; people do not join a business, they join people, specifically, people who can solve their problems. It is human nature to follow the leader. They want to align themselves with someone who has the knowledge and the vision to get them where they want to go.
You must seek wisdom and knowledge, and then apply what you’ve learned to earn the role of a leader. “The more valuable you become to others, the more they will seek you out.”
Make the decision today to seek wisdom.
As your value increases, your success increases, exponentially.
