How to Stop Fighting against the Flow.

The Flow.
What it is it?
How do you know you are in it?
It’s probably much easier, in fact, to know when you are not in it.

 It could be right now. I knew, or I felt, I suspected, I was not in the flow for the last 8 or so months.
My life was a struggle of trying to fit in to something that really didn’t make me feel that excited.  I realized, after some introspection, that I was trying to be something I’m not. I was struggling like the dickens to become some illustrious MLM Leader, when in fact, What I was really trying to do, was just fit in. I saw all these amazing people surrounding me, these “Leaders” in the MLM Industry, and I kept telling myself, I am as smart, and charming, as personable as most of these people, but why is it that I just cannot find the motivation to build a huge downline?
 

THE SALMON

The life of the Salmon, is quite an interesting one. They start out as small eggs in a stream bed, they hatch and begin their journey downstream towards the ocean. They literally swim across Salt water and fresh water, their bodies
adapting to all the changes, it is an amazing species. But the one thing that makes the salmon such a memorable fish, is that in order to complete this cycle, of returning to where they were born, they must swim upstream against the strong current. I remember watching the National Geographic specials and watching the Salmons struggle up as they pushed with all their force against the torrential thrust of a downward downpour of white  water.

 Flipping, jumping, struggling, some finally make it over to the calm waters, others stay stuck for who knows how long. Well, that’s how I was feeling. Like the Salmon. The one that never could quite make it over the edge into smooth waters in the calm stream. I began to think, is it me? Am I not doing enough?

And yes it was Me.
And I had an epiphany. After speaking with some friends, who had gone through a
similar situation as myself, I realized….
 

Have you Examined Your Location?

I was in the wrong location. I started to doubt myself, feel bad, think I needed more mindset training. I had levels of success in MLM, heck I recruited 10 people in an MLM that literally paid me peanuts. (A whole $72) for recruiting 10 people! I was upset at myself, I knew people saw me as this “leader” and yet, I just couldn’t get myself to recruit people. So I took a break, and started to do, something I loved to do when I needed to Release myself creatively.

I began to design again.

I opened my Photoshop and just started to design Twitter Backgrounds. I would re-vamp Lead Capture pages, just for the heck of it. Just to unleash my creativity. I would sit at my PC and 3 hours would pass by, and it felt like it was only a half hour. Not only that, but I was obsessed with textures, and images.

I can literally just look at a TV Commercial for example, and usually Name the Font they used in the Commercial, or I could detect a particular effect that was created on a glossy graphic postcard, “that’s bevel embossed,” or “ oh they used Satin to darken that up” I would say to myself.

I felt lost in what I was doing. And, I found myself doing it for Free.

Yes it was for Me, but, I was sitting there designing stuff for myself, that a paying customer would have easily paid me for to do for them.

Wait.

Yes.

That’s it.

I’m in Flow.

This is my Flow.
This is why it felt like a high, it felt amazing, I felt lost in what I was doing and I would do it for Free, if money was not an object. But I didn’t want to sit here and DO all the work.

I’m the Imaganeer.

The Creator, but all the while, I discovered,in these long months of struggle that I am also an
 

Entreprenuer.

Finding Nemo

If you knew me in person, you’d know that I love analogies. I simply just Love metaphors and analogies, and I think in pictures. So for my conclusion, I will refer to a scene in one of my favorite computer animated movies of all time, Finding Nemo.

Finding Nemo is a story of a little Clown Fish, named Nemo who was born with a short fin. Appearing a little lopsided, Nemo definitely compensated with Wit, Smarts and Fearlessness! On the Other Hand, Marlin, his father, was a worry wart.

Always fearing for Nemo’s safety.  Always afraid to take risks.

One day, while at “school” with his fish friends, Nemo went a bit too far out into the waters, and was captured by fishermen, and ended up in a Salt Water Tank at a Dental Clinic In Sydney, Australia.

To make a long story short, There is a point in the movie where Marlin, and his newfound absent Minded friend, Dory, who he met during his journey to Find Nemo and bring him back home, discover that if they only could find the EAC Current. (East Australian Current) that they could cut their time significantly, had they continued on the path they were on.

Trying to find the EAC current, they ran into different challenges, but all of the sudden, they started to follow a school of Tortoises. The Oldest Tortoise’s name was “Crush”.  As Marlin and Dory were swimming along calmly and peacefully with the Turtles, Marlin Turns over to “Crush” And says, 

Marlin: “Crush, I need to find the EAC, the East Australian Current. Do you know where
that is?”

Crush: “Dude! You’re riding it!”

And that was it.
They were in Flow.
It’s when you are riding the current, going the right way, and you don’t even feel like it’s a struggle.

Everything feels like it’s in place.

Things are moving, seemingly fast.

Opportunities are arising practically on a daily basis.

Taking action, is second nature.

And you feel invigorated, alive, motivated, Excited – Unstoppable!

Waking up, and finding you are Blessed to be Alive, to live another day, to, in my case, grow my Design & Marketing Consulting business, and watch things happen, that is the Blessing of FLOW. Not to be confused with Comfort Zone. (Two different things.)

Jump on the Current and Take it For a Ride.

I love to design, but I don’t like to “Work”.
Yes, I am like many of the Lazy men (or Women ) that has discovered the power of LEVERAGE and loves to find angles in business to make things easier, so that not only I flow, but the business itself flows, and when your business is in flow, it will grow.

Here are the things I learned, which is why I wrote this Piece, just for you, in hopes that you will recognize what your Flow is, and actively pursue whatever that is that makes you passionate, that motivates you, inspires you, and makes
you feel Alive. That thing you would do, if money was no object because you love what you do.

I realized I loved Aspects of MLM, but Not being in the MLM itself. What I loved was offering people who were struggling in MLM, solutions to help them build their business faster and more effectively. Which is why I enjoyed
promoting the Marketing Systems to make that happen, but had no real interest in growing the MLM itself.

I am an Entrepreneur.

Some people think they are in business, but what they really have is a hobby. MLM felt like a hobby to me. In the back of my mind, I knew a company could collapse, as so many have, and lose my income overnight.

Remember, I’m a bit lazy, and I refuse to put energy, precious energy into something that truly is not mine.

I’m an entrepreneur,

I create.

I am like Michelangelo.

I needed to sculpt my own masterpiece.

I needed control of my Business, like these amazing MLM Leaders have.
 (Notice that they are the ones making most of the money)
I love to say, I’m going to do “This” by such a time, and make it happen.  I Did it
twice before however, didn’t recognize why I just couldn’t do it  this time around.

I had become an ebay Silver Powerseller in exactly 3 months after I proclaimed I
would make it happen.
I formed a small design firm three years ago, designing ebay stores, and proclaimed I would grow that business, and make at minimum part time income, so I could stay home with my children,

And it happened.
But MLM, why was it such a struggle?

Yeah I made money.

Most people don’t.

I remember one of my mentors congratulating me because I was one of the only 3% of people that ever make money in the industry. But yet, I couldn’t get motivated enough to really follow through. It wasn’t my flow.
Since transitioning back into Design, and Adding Marketing Consultation and Brand Creation to my Offerings, I have attracted more business in the last month or so, than I even thought imaginable, and I didn’t even Market my business.
One Client, who I created her “Brand” for including Selecting her Domain Name, and creating a Slogan and complete Image for, reported acquiring 2 Speaking Engagements and a Consulting Client!

My Comic Artist Client, generated his first 3 leads ever on the internet, simply by applying a Direct Marketing Strategy to his website, that he had never even thought of doing before we consulted together.

All the experiences served me as a school, to Optimize what I already knew in my
heart to do and was naturally good at.

I am currently preparing to Grow Full Force, contracting Talented Staff to support the growth of the business I will be working ON – not In.

Find your Flow.
When you are in flow, things move quickly, or so it seems, because time is literally suspended, and you get lost in the journey to success. If MLM IS for you, then find the systems that will make growing your business easier. Learn from the top Producers. Find out how they do what they do and then make a goal to do it.

Get the right information.
If you know you are Smart, and capable, but it just doesn’t seem to be working out, you may want to ask yourself why?

Examine your location.

If money was no object, what would you do for free, and how can you find how to
make money and add Value to others doing THAT.

Pursue your passion.

Ride the Current

Even if it means quitting on something that you thought was what you wanted.

Like one of my mentors once said:

What you are willing to walk away from, is what you are allowing room for to walk into your Life.

Ride the Current,

Find your Flow.

Make it happen.
====================================
Barbie Figueroa is the CEO and Marketing Consultant of her Design Company, The
5 Minute Marketing Makeover  Dedicated to providing solutions to help your business Grow.
Discover the System that helps grow your MLM seamlessly, and become one of the
few that actually make money in MLM. The MLM Super Funnel.

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