CREATE YOUR BEST TOMORROW, TODAY

Are you frustrated with what your future looks like for you and your family? Do you feel overwhelmed with the prospect of how you can develop a great future? Are you feeling a little stuck in your life with no real direction and momentum toward what you would consider is a bright future? Do you lack the knowledge, desire and will to put together a plan that will guide you to a successful outcome? Well, you are not by yourself. Last year, one-third of all Americans were dissatisfied with the future they and their families face, according to recent years.

The good news is that you do not have to remain stuck, frustrated, overwhelmed or lacking in any way. Your future is in your hands, you have everything you need to create your own future. The bible tells me that God has a plan for us all. That plan is to prosper us and not to harm us. Simply put God has put in motion what our futures will be but it is up to us to do our part. Not only do we have the ability to create our futures, we can do so in a simple yet systematic manner as part of our everyday lives. It is important for Network Marketers to understand that we are in an industry that is scrutinized because the manner in which success is generated. But just like franchising years ago network marketing takes a big hit on whether it is a viable industry. However, take a look at franchising today. It has allowed many individuals to take their lives and their family’s lives into their own hands and create the type of success that they desire. Network Marketing has the same ability, to the point it has created more millionaires than any other industry. I would say someone understood that they really do have command over what their futures are.

Not only can you have a Network Marketing business as a Plan B, Retirement plan, or a College fund, you can create a real dynamic business for you and your family. Peter Drucker, the legendary father of modern management, approached the future with a forward-focused mindset, as something to be created and nurtured in the present moment. By owning a network marketing business you are not only leaving your future to chance or fate, or subject to the whims of others. Instead, you are unlocking and living your best future, beginning in the here and now. Start with these five strategies, inspired by Drucker and re-imagined for today’s fast-moving, uneasy times: 1. Make friends with uncertainty and change. With the insurgence of new technologies and the many breakout businesses popping up all over, nonstop uncertainty and change is the new normal. As society continues to change, individuals are faced with what their lives are going to be in the future and the lives of their families. We have to begin to face reality and take into account that the most effective way to manage change successfully is to create it. We cannot continue to wish and hope that change will not hit us in a way that will be negative. Change will hit us all it is what we do to either shape that change that will be most palatable. With the rate of change today we need to be a part of making that change. And in doing so we must see change as an opportunity, not a threat. NOTE: Identify three to five role models in your life and industry—people you know or who are in the public eye—who seem to be adept at navigating the future. Begin to study these individuals and see what their lives consist of that seems to give them an edge to weather through the storms of change and bounce back. 2. Look for and find the future. Be mindful of what Drucker called “the future that has already happened.” Anticipate the effects of actions and events that have already taken place but have yet to fully unfold. When the cell phone first came on the scene, there were individuals who knew that that was going to be the next big thing to change the world. And guess what, it was. It would behoove you to tap into the work of future-related thought leaders, think tanks, and business and academic organizations who are giving great insight and value into where the Network Marketing business is headed. One such piece that many still avoid is social media and the use of technology. By incorporating these future modules into your network marketing business they become an integral part of running a successful Network Marketing business with a future minded approach. NOTE: Form or join a specialized book club or discussion groups dedicated to thinking about the future. Reading the books of leaders in the industry, attending meetings that are being held will give you great insight of the industry and its changes and how you can benefit from the knowledge. 3. Practice relentless self-development. There are many individuals who are still trying to grow their businesses the way that they were grown back in the 80’s. It is important that we diversify our interests, remain relevant, develop a powerful personal brand, maintain a global outlook, and be a part of a company that benefits others. As much as we may want to hold on to that antiquated notion that if it is not broke do not fix it, the truth of the matter is that we have to mature and grow. In order for growth to occur we must stay on the cusp of changing ideas and adapt those to what we are doing. NOTE: According to Drucker, self-development requires “learning new skills, new knowledge, and new manners.” As we begin to read and learn new skills, and we form new responsible habits and develop a more forward thinking attitude, we begin to transform ourselves into a valuable and viable entity for others to follow. 4. Remove and improve. As change takes place we have to figure out which activities, practices, products, or services have outlived their value in your career and organization. It may mean out goes the home meeting and in comes the Skype meeting. It may mean out goes the regular prospecting call and in comes the launch calls. No matter what we remove or improve we must take control with intention. As we intentionally remove what no longer makes sense we are systematically abandoning those methods and techniques. However, as we assess what remains it is important that we apply the Japanese principle of kaizen which speaks of steady and incremental improvement. NOTE: Ask yourself, “If a particular practice in my work i.e. having weekly home meetings weren’t already in place, would I start doing it now?” 5. Determine your goals beyond the business. As a Pastor I find it always important to talk about your spirituality. Drucker himself talks about the importance of having what he coined “existential goals”. Many times you can find the success of your goals in getting to the core of who you are. Just begin by asking yourself the big questions of life, such as: Who am I? What am I? What do I want to be? What do I want to put into life, and what do I want to get out of it? And what do I want to be remembered for? NOTE: What are your answers to these questions? Think about how relevant your answers are for creating your future. When you make choices and commitments and take action today, with tomorrow always in mind, you begin to take your future into your own hands. Just as I always say you can have Purpose Directed Success today! RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

• The 7 Habit of Highly Effective People®

• Create Your Future the Peter Drucker Way: Developing and Applying a Forward-Focused Mindset (McGraw-Hill).