December 1999

Ten Years of Upline

Fire Up and Just Do It - Jan Ruhe

You have to want to do this-- and you have to want it very badly. If you're not capable of receiving, you are not capable of giving. I want you to live beyond motivation-- I want you to live your life as an inspiration.

The universe, I believe, rearranges itself to accommodate your picture. Your purpose in life will be right if it is simple and you feel it deeply-- if it inspires you.

You have to find out what your purpose is as a leader. My major purpose is to learn to teach others how to do the same.

If you want to learn something, teach it.

If you want to have something, give it away.

People want to be around those who know where they're going. I promise you, if you have clear-cut goals, you will have a wonderful time.

Focus on what you want and you can produce outrageous, outstanding results. Focus your attention, determine what you want to accomplish. Results on results-- success on success.

Most people focus on what they don't want. Focus on what you don't want, and I promise you will get more of it. Whatever you focus on is what you'll create in your life.

Here are two powerful words-- "I AM." I want you to be very careful about what follows these words.

When you say "I am tired ... I am mad ... I am insulted ..."-- it's a powerful focus for your beliefs, like a lens that intensifies the light of the sun. You burn that belief into your brain and psyche!

People often focus on resentments of the past. I want you to live now-- the past is gone.

We choose our own reality; be accountable for your life. Provide more value than people expect. Put people first, and success will follow.

Always remember that the most common way of inspiring people is through your own personal example. Set the example you want your people to duplicate. If you want your group to sell, then you had better be selling. If you want your group to recruit, then you had better be recruiting.

Set group goals, set team goals, set annual goals, set your own personal goals, set daily goals, set weekly goals. If you want your team to set goals, then you must be setting goals.

Everything you want from your people, you must first do yourself. Stay ahead of your team if you want to keep leading them.

Put a lot of thought into your business. Pass on everything good that you learn-- don't hold back.

Write newsletters, use the phone, and forget the bad news.

Tell people that you are in this business for a lifetime.

Offer such an abundance of support that they will know that success is inevitable on your team.

Most people are afraid of not succeeding, and this fear is the biggest obstacle in getting them on the road to success.

The ambitious people are easy to identify. Work closest with those people who are willing to cooperate with your methods and who are coachable. If you do not have enough ambitious people, concentrate on recruiting rather than squeezing business-builders out of reluctant people. Give meetings at homes of the ambitious people under them. Don't waste time trying to prove your point and convince others. It's a waste of time to try to force someone beyond the rank of beginner in Network Marketing if that's all they want from your company.

Teach others so they can teach others to reach others.

Your business will grow much faster when others can see and feel the fun you are having. You will also work harder when you're having fun.

Concentrate on doing what is right rather than doing things right. Get in, get done, and get out-- work fast.

Concentrate on what you do best, and let others do the rest. Your objective must be to get results. Ask yourself, "Should I be working on this project at all?" Do the most productive thing at every given moment.

Teach and command respect by your example. If your team respects you enough to learn from you, you will increase your income.

Play no favorites. Keep your top performers and top producers by being sensitive to their need for recognition.

You have to attack situations and rapidly make tough decisions. Even if it is wrong, make a decision. Don't avoid making decisions. Promote risk taking.

Be a specialist at recruiting, training, and retaining top producers, and keep your people moving. Constantly be a student of the skill of understanding personalities. Know that all people are motivated differently. You will only be as successful as your people, and they will only be as successful as you help them to become.

Radiate enthusiasm.

Avoid jealousy and negative thinking.

Do not ever stop sponsoring and enrolling new people.

Invest in your business-- invest money into your business, but mostly invest in yourself. Refuel daily by reading and listening to tapes, and reading great books.

Know this-- you are going to get your feelings hurt, but the highs outweigh the lows. Disappointments can make you better or bitter, just try not to be shortsighted.

Include photos in your newsletters. Monthly newsletters were a crucial part of my building years. I never missed a month getting that newsletter out, no matter what. One year I personally recruited 50 people-- that made a huge difference. Quit needing the approval from those in your company who are not going to give it to you. Set your goal to be Number One in your entire company.

Give out hundreds of business cards. My rule is: Wherever I give out my money or credit card, a business card goes, too. I set a goal to give out 100 business cards in one week. Set a team goal-- 1,000 business cards in a month. Get out and make it happen.

Get your mind off yourself. Help one person have a better, brighter day.

See yourself in the year 2006. Do you know that is only [6] years from now? Unbelievable! Where are you going to be in the year 2006?

Remember to take lots of pictures. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Invest in a slide machine and a screen, and start taking slides. Turn those little pictures into huge pictures on the screen. Share those slides with people you love and care about.

Throw away the past when it doesn't serve -- but hold on to the lessons that your past has taught you.

Begin today to acknowledge that you are important. You are cared for and you are loved.

Be happy for those who are succeeding.

Rent videos about champions and read about champions.

Everyone is important!

Begin to think big, and then think bigger, and then multiply your big thoughts by ten, and then multiply them by 100, and then by 1,000.

Fire Up!-- change your attitude, go for greatness.

Wash your car.

Clean up your desk and clean out your purse or briefcase. Your car, your desk, and your purse are reflections of your mind.

Expect excellence-- not perfection-- from your children; and expect excellence-- and not perfection-- from yourself.

Forgive someone who has hurt you-- let it go. Pick up the phone and call someone that you have hurt, and clean up the mess that you left. Write a letter of apology, expecting nothing in return.

Cut your hair ... get a massage ... get a manicure. Get rid of all those old average clothes.

Move your furniture around, buy a new compact disc, light a candle, become a flower fairy.

Here is the most special gift I have ever received in my organization:

Someone (I still do not know who did it) organized my entire team to send fresh flowers to my home every week of the year. I call those people the "flower fairies."

Can you imagine the message my children got from that experience?

Send someone that you care about a bouquet of flowers.

Read a book.

Go get your teeth professionally cleaned.

Buy some new tennis shoes. Walk a mile a day. Walk a mile in your spouse's shoes.

Hire someone to cut your yard once in a while, or all the time.

Sail away from your safe harbor. Explore all your possibilities. Know that the Big Bad Wolf is not going to come to your door.

Take a risk. Watch people take a risk. Ski down a mountain. Ride a gondola up to the top of a mountain. Thank God you are alive.

Try not to take any medicine that is not truly necessary, and quit complaining.

Get energized, Fire Up-- I mean it!

Look for an abundance in your life. You have no limitations.

Hug five people a day, and then go hug some more.

Picture all your bills paid, and guess what-- pay them. I was in debt-- over six figures. I had bills on my desk totaling in excess of $100,000. A decade later I bought Sarah, my daughter, a car-- a BMW. I did it-- so can you.

Present your gifts in an unusual manner-- be unique.

Be a team player-- be better than you were yesterday.

Write a book. Read books. Become a saver of time. Become a saver of money.

Care about people who do not know how to return the love you want. Show them how to love you. Say goodbye, however, to those people who cannot and will not love you. There is love for you on this planet, in this country, in your state, in your city, in your neighborhood, and from me. There are so many people on my team that I love, so many, many of their families that I have become close to, and I am sure that there are many of you-- if I could get to know you, too-- who would be among those I love and be a part of my life. I wish I could meet everybody who reads this article.

Learn to say BTDT: Been There, Done That-- not going to do that again! Begin your life today with energy! Go all out! You deserve an abun-dant life.

Live with pride, love America, think of all your liberties. Dreams move on, though, if you don't do something about them.

In Network Marketing, all give some, but some give all. Be one who gives all. Some stand through-- some stand tough. Some have to fall.

I never prejudge anyone. Anybody who can fog a mirror is a prospect.

Use cassette tapes (you can check them out from the library). Turn every minute you have into a learning minute-- feed your mind, feed your mind, feed your mind!

Answer your correspondence. Return phone calls.

Do not complain about your own personal challenges-- they will pass.

Work smart. Follow up every lead. Help others learn to prospect by modeling what you do.

Get a nice pen-- it says you care about yourself. Then use it. Take notes-- always.

Have patience. When you think about quitting, start all over again, get determined, get the commitment, get Fired Up!

You can shrink your dreams to match your income or you can choose to expand your income to match your dreams. Get focused and stick with your focus.

Set your own standard-- and know that when you are successful, there will be silly people who will always say that you must have been manipulative or who will question just how you became successful.

You know what? You have to laugh-- just laugh.

Sad, but true, they could have reached out and called you, or found out one tip from you that may have changed their lives, but they didn't. They could have picked just one great, fabulous idea of yours-- silly people! Don't waste time with them. My daughter Ashley taught me to say, "Oh well..."

Care about your people even when they do not care about you.

If what you're doing is not working, stop and ask yourself some questions:

How can I do this more easily?

How can I do this more simply?

How can I do this better?

Who could help me do this so I do not have to continue to struggle?

I find that it is very important to work very hard the first six months of the year. Those who work early in the year harvest in the fall.

Your objective, remember, is to get results. Ask yourself these questions:

How much does what I am doing matter to me?

How much does what I am doing matter to my future?

What do I need right now to achieve maximum positive results in my life?

There is no such thing as failure-- remember, there are only quitters. When things are down things always come back up. Start over.

Accept responsibility and say "Yes" when it is easier to say "No."

The best lessons in my life have come for me in the form of devastation. Can you believe that? Divorce was really, really tough. Being a single parent was lonely, and there were some really hard times, but you know what? I learned some of the best lessons of my life during that time.

Keep your expenses as low as possible. The best place to invest is in self-development seminars, books and tapes.

Your people reflect you.

You can't coast, you have got to work at it every day.

Do not sweat the small stuff-- but do pay attention to detail.

Be an action person

Photocopy your bonus check. Keep a record of every bonus check that you get and show your check to your downline with enthusiasm, even if it is small-- let them see it get bigger.

Have a power picture of who you want to become and keep your word. Do not make up excuses.

To keep the best possible attitude, stop talking failure.

Become a great communicator.

Make things happen. Do not wait for them to happen. Have a sense of urgency about your business.

Help others to succeed and be strong.

Be bold-- you can do it.

The more you put into your business, the more you get out of it.

Continue to improve.

Remember, the way you spend your time is far more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time spent is gone forever.

Spend the rest of your life saying "I am so glad I did this," instead of "Oh, I wish I had done that."

Fire up, just do it!

JAN RUHE is the top Diamond Distributor in Discovery Toys and has championed the industry for 20 years. Jan is an Upline Master, a member of the Network Marketing Hall of Fame, and a Woman of Distinction in the International Network Marketing Directory. She's a popular international speaker, consultant and the author of Fire Up! and MLM Nuts & Bolts. She lives with her family in Aspen, CO. This article first appeared in July/August 1994 issue.

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Reprinted with permission from Upline, Fire Up and Just Do It! - December 1999, 888-UPLINE-1, http://www.upline.com

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