Have you really said yes to your entrepreneurial calling? Does your heart beat in tune to your passion? Have you truly internalized what you need to understand to set one foot in front of the other and move in the direction of your dreams?

Your recipe for success lies within you and the nearest person in proximity to you and your dreams. In order to line up all the essentials and make this entrepreneurship work, you must be connected to your true passion, have accountability through another person, and persevere through even the toughest times to truly make it work.

Most of the time, our passions are evident to ourselves and the rest of the world. If you are a painter and your artwork portrays an authenticity and distinct flavor of your personality, then you are fulfilling your passion. If you are a poet and can move others with your words, there is passion. If you are a gifted speaker and can empower people with your stance on stage, you are in your power. However, depending on the stage of life that we are in, we may no longer feel passionate about painting, poetry, or speaking. What then? Life is a constant ability to access where we are in our life circumstances. For example, a woman just starting her family will not take as much time for her passions because of her family's demands. Someone with most of the kids grown, can now seque into her favorite past time. A retired person may find that her idea of passionate pursuits have changed. Sometimes, it can be gut wrenching to decide what takes priority in your life. Sometimes, there are too many passions. Which one should I pursue? So, the first thing to do is to access where you are in your specific stage of life. How realistic is it to pursue your passion? How do you make room for it in your life. Just a little bit at a time. Make a list of favorite things you like to do. Then prioritize it. I once asked Ellie how do I incorporate my writing into my business? She said just set aside a certain time to do it everyday. Duh! That was hard. How come I didn't think of the obvious? Why? Because you need someone to keep you accountable. Someone to answer both the tough and easy questions.

Accountability is the next step in fulfilling your goals, dreams, and aspirations. We all need a helping hand. That's why this website was created. We need other people in our life we can bounce things off of; throw out an idea; ask for help. At times, the obvious is not at all clear to us. Sometimes, we have an off day; fall into a slump; get down in the dumps. For days like that, we need colleagues, mentors, coaches, and friends to lift us up and reinstill in us a sense of worth. Don't fall into the trap of getting upset with yourself for having a bad day or not bringing in new people for a week or more, chastising yourself, feeling guilty, and asking yourself is this business really for me. Instead, call one of us and let us know how you feel. Understanding that we all fall into that trap occasionally allows us to feel less alone. Pick an accountability partner in your life. It could be one of us, your spouse, a best friend, or a co-worker. Ask that person to stay in close touch with you and ask you the tough questions. How many leads did you call today? How many emails and names did you get when out and about? How many follow-up phone calls were made? How many three-ways done? How many people did you send to your website? Did you do any self-development training? What did you read? What did you listen to? What did you learn? Did you share it with someone else? Could you give a 5 minute talk on a conference call about what you learned? Have you been on your training calls regularly? Do you help out on these calls? Do you promote your upline? Do you promote live events?

I know of a couple who made a deal with each other. He set a goal of getting 10 names and numbers every day as part of his prospecting. He then asked his wife to keep him accountable to that goal. He told her no matter what, that she was not to open the door to him when he came home from work unless he had those 10 names and numbers. He used the 10 bean system. In the morning, he put 10 beans in his pocket. Each time he had a new name and number, he transferred a bean from one pocket to the next. Once he had them all transferred he could go home.

One stormy, windy, rainy night after working long hours at the office, he came to the door and knocked like he usually did. His wife came to the door and asked him the same question always asked each day. "Did you transfer all 10 beans?" The husband gave her his best hangdog look and said, "I only have four left, but please let me in, just this once, I've had a hard day at the office and look at this lousy weather!"

"Sorry", his wife replied. "You gave me strict orders to not let you in without all ten beans being transferred. Go out and finish your work!"

So, with grave, reluctant steps, the husband went down to the local Denny's and transferred his last four beans.

Why is this illustration so powerful? Don't you think the wife felt a little sorry for him? Don't you think he felt she should make an exception just this once? Little things done over time make a big difference. He had an accountability partner that was not going to let him off the hook. They went from nothing to a 6 figure income per month in 8 months by doing that tiny, little habit everyday. Notice that perseverance kept him in the game. Now, find yourself a partner to keep you fulfilling your promises to yourself.

The above story also illustrates the need to persevere. This requires that you do not allow your emotions to be attached to the end results. You have to put on blinders, focus on the light ahead, resist the urge to take a break, slow down, turn aside, or change your mind for a 30 day period of time. See what results you will get. I often hear people say they worked hard for 4, 5, or 6 days but nobody signed up. Hey, that's just the beginning of putting people in your pipeline. In our society today, everyone expects instant results. We are used to immediate gratification on anything we do. In this business, especially when just starting out, you need patience, blind focus, and durability. Anyone can do something for 30 days. So, go out there and set your pace. You see, setting your pace produces momentum. Getting in the flow is part of that momentum. It's like an athlete reaching a euphoric high after a certain amount of exercise. They stay the course moment by moment as they work towards their endurance goals. You must do the same.

So, there you have it in a nutshell. Find your passion; get an accountability partner; and stay in the game consistently, persevering through all the pain, embarrassment, trials, and tribulations of becoming a self-sufficient, highly charged, recruiting machine...and do it with PASSION.