Or: why "affirmations" have no place in the life of a successful leader.

I always thought affirmations were silly. I didn’t use them my first few months with my last MLM company, but as time went on and the mindless dialing and follow-up was starting to take its toll on me, I found myself turning to daily affirmations for strength, just like everyone else.

And it did help to tell myself I was "an abundantly blessed woman" and that "the lead and cash flow were strong" (even though they were not). It did help build my confidence and belief…at least until the next abusive prospect screamed in my ear and slammed down the phone on me. Then the good feelings quickly evaporated and it was back to square one…(meaning MORE affirmations).

On bleak days like these (and they were many), the advice from my upline was to say my affirmations repeatedly out loud – a minimum of five times a day -- to "strengthen my belief".

(I remember this one girl on my team…she had this special little song of encouragement she would sing to herself any time someone hung up on her. It always struck me as terribly sad…even back then when I was just as brainwashed as her.)

Which brings another thought to mind: Have you ever considered why it is that the events put together by MLM companies are always so full of hype and practically free of any substance? There are flickering lights, loud music, touching "success stories", "incredible" product launches, "before-and-after-I-got-rich" pictures…plenty of all that.

All designed to get you (back) on your emotional high. To keep you sucked in. To get you wound up enough to keep going until the next event – where it all starts all over again.

Let’s face it. The reason it’s all fluff and no substance is because your leaders don’t really have anything to teach you. Like you, the people up on stage are just pawns in the larger corporate puzzle. They don’t know the first thing about marketing.

As one of the prominent leaders in my last MLM company willingly confessed: "I don’t know anything about building a business. If, today, you asked me to do it all over again, I would be just as clueless as I was back then." She had been with her company for 11 years and was making over six-figures. Yet she wasn’t afraid to flaunt her ignorance. In fact, she used it as a line of reasoning whenever she spoke to a prospect: "So you see, if I can do it, YOU can do it too!"

Right.

The reason affirmations are given so much emphasis in MLM is the same reason the events are so overrated. It’s because so many people are struggling.

Just think about it…When your downline is dissolving and after twelve months you aren’t any closer to financial freedom than the day you got started, when low-quality leads continue to suck your energy and your bank account, when you have no friends or family members left to recruit, when you are drained, disillusioned, and mildly depressed, then you really do need something to offset all the negativity.

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