I just snapped.

I couldn't take it any more.

I starting sobbing, and I gripped the steering wheel with both hands in a choke hold. My vision blurred from the tears as I drove the 2 hours back...another freaking no-show. I was in my $800 rusty van with no heat and a hole in the roof.

It was March 1995. I had been married less than 30 days. Nearly my entire downline of 86 had quit, leaving me with just 5 people. If I didn't recruit someone within 48 hours, I wouldn't qualify for a check. And if I didn't qualify for a check, I wouldn't have money for gas, phone or food...

It was a low point in my career as a professinal network marketer...one of the hundreds of low points in 16 years.

Have you been there?

If not, why not?

Think about that for a second. Has your MLM business brought you to the point of tears, ever? If not, why not?

I recently asked networkers to email me their biggest problem. If you didn't get that offer, you can check it out at http://www.ilovemlm.com/problem Do you know what one of the most talked about problems was?

How do I motivate my downline?

If you ever want to cause a brawl, ask that question at a mastermind of top leaders and your company president at a big function sometime. There are as many theories on motivation as there are morons in politics.

Here's my three cents on the issue.

I believe motivation is caused by a mental question. The question might be, "Why should I pick up the phone and call prospects today?"

The question is repeated in the subconscious. Our inner dialogue triggers a routine in our mental programming. The subconscious MUST TRY to answer every question it is asked. For example, when are you going to invest in your business and finally buy MLM Bluprint?

So, our brain tries to figure out WHY it should make calls. It goes into memory banks, comparing the question to previous life experiences, both REAL and IMAGINED. Remember when you asked that person to the school dance in grade 9 and they said No? What if you call a prospect and they say NO? Remember how embarassing that was?

The brain moves through the memory banks at warp speed, comparing both positive and negative experiences with the current problem. An inner dialogue supports the comparision. The brain is calculating the potential PAIN of making calls versus the potential PLEASURE of making calls.

Think of it like a scale. If you have more (or stronger) painful memories, then the brain will tip away from the calls and get you to go make a chocolate sandwich and watch Survivor or Idol or something.

The opposite is true if the brain finds recent positive experiences. In baseball it's called a hitting streak. In poker, its called a rush. In mlm, its called "Baby, I'm hot stuff!" Once you get on a roll, it's like everything you touch turns to gold. The brain believes you're hot, and you start dialing like a madman. Boom! Another hot one. Boom! Another hot one. You're unstoppable.

Motivation is a spiral vortex, like in the toilet or when you pull the plug in the bathtub. It can spiral in a negative fashion, pulling you further down, or it can spiral in a positive fashion, making you hot stuff baby!

The key lies in the mental pictures that we compare to the question. When your brain asks" Why should I call prospects?" it can't tell the difference between REAL and IMAGINED pictures. If you can focus on the mental picture of being a six-figure earner (think about the toys, the security, the freedom, the fun!) then the brain will tilt in the direction of those mental images, taking ACTION to make them REAL.

In MLM Blueprint, we talk about Treasure Maps and Fridge Photos as a source of both motivation and as a RETENTION tool. If your downline isn't motivated it's because their brain lacks MENTAL PICTURES to compare the questions to. THAT'S why large events, team parties, trips and cruises, etc are so valuable. They create mental movies of what's possible. If you aren't using TREASURE MAPS and FRIDGE PHOTOS as a step-by-step duplicatable system in your organization, then you aren't tapping your full potential.

When I walked on stage in front of 7000 people in June of 2000 to get my Million Dollar Earner's Pin, I thought back to that day in March of 1995 when I wanted to rip the steering wheel off. In five years I managed to figure out how to tilt the scales of motivation in my direction. I had lived that moment hundreds of thousands of times in my mind....I knew exactly what I would be wearing, how it would sound and feel to be a millionaire.

When my brain asked, "Why should I call prospects today?" I KNEW WHY.

I appreciate you. Keep your WHY in your mind's eye at all times!