Five Strategies to Make Tackling “It” Easier

Why is IT so hard?

The hardness of IT was the recent topic at a “home party” I was attending. The sister of a friend and customer of mine had a home party that showcased products from her company. I was invited and went. As a network marketer, I genuinely believe that no matter what company you are in, you should support other companies as long as the products being offered do not conflict with your company’s products or philosophy.

I got to talking with the hostess, Sue. We hit it off. I found out that she had been with her company for 2 years. Then she went on to say, “I’ll never get rich with this, I work full time and “it” is so hard” to find the time to host parties.

She went on to tell me that the woman who sponsored her, Sharon, told her that she should be hosting 6 parties per month. Sue is currently hosting 4. She also thought that her sponsor just didn’t get it because her sponsor is a stay-at-home mom who has all the time in the world!

I had to cringe inside. In our society of two income households we still have not come to value the work of at- home moms. A prestigious business publication states that if we actually have to pay at-home moms for their time, skill sets, talents and money saved on day care, they would be earning a 6 figure income.

While I was talking with Sue I realized that according to our perceptions, life is hard for us and easy for everyone else which is why a network marketing program may work for Sharon but not for Sue. Sharon has IT easy while Sue has IT hard.

Is that reality? Probably not, but Sue’s belief has her doing 4 parties per month instead of 6: the difference between hot water and steam, between floundering and momentum, between warming the food and cooking as they say “with gas”. Sue was already doing the work to set up 4 parties per month. How much additional work would it have taken to set up 6. Sue is so close, but aren’t we all?

Life is hard. For every condition that we might say is hard someone else might say is easy. A barrier for one person might become a reason for another so we are left with two choices: either it is all easy or all hard. Either way, we can all do it. Whatever IT is.

What is IT any way? It is life. It is the monthly nut to crack. The daily jobs to do, the bills, the frustrations, the disappointments, the lost home, the lost job, the wrecked car, the new baby, the fight you had with your spouse, life as we know it. The list goes on.

Whenever we try to change IT life really becomes hard.

We have only to look at our planet to see the cataclysmic results of change. Sudden change between the way two parts of the earth touch will cause tsunamis and earthquakes, changes in the air’s thermal currents will cause tornados and hurricanes, Sustained high winds may cause a home to collapse forever altering a familiy’s reality.

The subtle changes that we have grown to appreciate, the creation of the canyons, for example, took many, many lifetimes to come to fruition. In the overall scheme of things, if we choose to change our IT, we must choose to change it suddenly, because we simply don’t have time for subtle, gradual change.

And yet IT, life, is hard. Changing IT, all the harder.

Here are 5 strategies to make changing your IT easier:

1) Recognize that life is hard and change even harder. The moment you confront the things in your life events will conspire to challenge your sanity and commitment to change.

2) Speak to your spouse or significant other. No real change is made without the help of others. You need a team and the first member of that team may just be the person you share your intimate spaces with. That person can also block any changes you desire to make. Make sure that the two of you are on the same page. Yes, this strategy alone may prove to be the most difficult and painful one you undertake or it may prove to be the most joyful.

3) Develop a vision for yourself. How do you want your life to look in two years? Write that vision down and commit to viewing it twice daily.

4) Start a program of personal development and have your spouse or significant other start it with you. If you are just starting out, don’t spring for the thousand dollar seminar! Books and tapes will do nicely.

5) Develop a way to measure your progress. How will you know that life has gotten better? How will you know that you have made a positive change?

Yes, IT is hard. Life is hard. If you desire change, is it enough to go through life without making the changes you desire? I don’t know what Sue will do. Sue is tired and out of shape. Her children are grown and out of the house. She and her husband work full time although they would like not to have to. Both she and her husband have health challenges, but Sue has hired a personal trainer to help her move forward with her health. Yes I did buy from Sue and am forever grateful that I met her. Right now Sue is using one of the strategies: she has a supportive spouse who was right there at that party! I believe that Sue will move on to a more desirable IT than her present reality.

What is next for you?