Network Marketing and Life Lessons

It is interesting to me that, as the global economy continues to melt down, the only industry that I keep hearing good news about is network marketing. Of course, since Arbonne is a network marketing company, I probably am a little more tuned-in to that kind of news, but still. Last week, there were two news stories about Arbonne and its growth even in this recession; you can watch one here. Today someone forwarded me this video that President Clinton recorded about direct sales and network marketing.


I am also thinking about Arbonne today because I am attending the Arbonne Road Tour tonight in Woburn, MA (about 2000 people attended last week - in the snow! - in Baltimore). It should be a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to seeing some of my downline and sideline partners there. This company is so full of great people who genuinely care about others, and it is always a treat to be in a room full of people who've been Arbonnized. Aside from the products, the company philosophy is all about personal growth and development, so I've read a lot of books that I might never have picked up before. Recently, I read Go For No! by Fenton & Waltz, and currently I am reading What to Say When You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter. The interesting thing about these books is that, while of course they are applicable to a salesperson, they are also applicable to everyone else. In fact, I keep making connections to the education world. How different would schools be if we told children that we wanted them to make mistakes, that we wanted them to fail, because that would show that they were taking risks and trying new things, ultimately helping them to learn and grow? Or if we started every day in school by having kids use (developmentally appropriate) positive self-talk, especially since so many children only receive negative feedback at home?

You know, when I started selling Arbonne to make a little extra income, I didn't think that I would also learn lessons I could apply in all areas of my life. It seems like, whenever you open yourself up to possibilities beyond your current experiences, you grow as a person - and that's a good thing.