I never saw myself starting my own business. It was real hard to look ahead and see where things were going. When all you grew up with and see around are people busy getting up in the morning for work, its so dark. You would truly think the life pattern was real. It’s not until you learn the lessons of life and the art of self leadership do you realize that life pattern isn’t real for everyone.

Been There, Done That, Screwed Up

But things changed in 2005. My college instructor, whom I was so grateful for, introduced me to network marketing. I had absolutely no idea what it was then other than my grades mattered so much to me. Fast forward, I found myself one day along with all other just as puzzled audience listening to a motivational speaker talking about:

• Money
• Dream House
• Dream Car
• Free Travel Around The World
• Health And Wellness

I looked around and saw plenty acted skeptical and indifferent. (facial expression resembles to that of a cow in a milk commercial chewing grass). However, on the back corner, (rarely do I sit in front since first grade) I was restless, revved up, and ecstatic.

Wild ideas kept flooding uncontrollably across my mind. Heck, I could hardly keep up with them. Of course, I had never been out around gatherings like this. I was completely in trance that I caught myself saying, This is just so beauuuutiful!

So, I hurried back home. I was out telling everyone from my cousins, friends, to my neighbors about my Eureka moment. I went full-blast. Zooom! Then for some weird reason, what I got was that look on the cow’s face again. Well, I said, “Never mind” but left a bit fazed.

Finally, I ended up sharing my newly-discovered treasure with the people closest to me: my parents. I summoned all the courage left and pulled the trigger,“Ma, Pa, this is it! blah, blah! pak! pak! ratatatatatat!” My mouth was like a machine gun firing copied bullet lines from the speaker all mixed up at the same time.

All too suddenly, my father cut my fabricated speech off with a thunderous, “Hush up! Are you crazy?!” This time, ladies and gentlemen, I saw a hungry African lion ready to eat me. Scared, I stepped back, and walked away. I left very discouraged with shoulders down, and thoughts overflowed with questions.

A Whole New Adventure

Though feeling down, I said to myself, “Heck no, I can’t afford sitting here with ideas in my head and decide doing nothing.” Without waiting for a go signal from anyone else, I signed up, went through series of training, and eventually built my own network of downlines. In the process, I’ve learned to handle rejection, manage stage fright, talk to strangers with this five-foot rule strategy, and overcome fear of failure.

I learned none of them when I was in college. Can a student take the massive amount of rejection a sidewalk vendor encounters every day? I don’t think so. That explains why we sit right behind someone in class.

We try to avoid as much as possible exposing ourselves a bit up close from the front. We’re scared to be laughed at when we give wrong answers. I’m not telling you to be a sidewalk vendor though.

Kidding aside, I’ve likewise learned to devour books on personal finance, entrepreneurship, and personal development. I got to know authors I’ve never heard of before such as Brian Tracy, Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Guy Kawasaki, Donald Trump, Zig Ziglar, T. Harv Eker, Seth Godin, to name a few.

Though I don’t buy on most of the hype surrounding the industry, and I’m no longer working on being a network  entrepreneur as hard as I did, no word can explain how thankful I am, at one time, getting involved.  It has definitely shaped the way I look at things today. And the learning has become part of the rules I live by.

• Be Your Own CEO. I’ve been raised in a church where you should adhere to a disciplined lifestyle. Though it has a huge impact on me, my exposure to religion did not prevent me from thinking very independently. For me though, I believe you are smart enough to think through an issue. If something is true, go ahead, run experiments, check the facts, then call something real. I can’t imagine spending my life following the crowd.

• Follow Your Passion. The only person who knows what you can do is you. If successful people thought about what the mainstream are thinking, there wouldn’t have been any one of them today. I wonder why others would make you a laughing stock when you think and do something differently.Wouldn’t it be the other way around?

  Why are they laughing at something they do not understand anyway? Besides, there is a good reason why people are created different. If everyone was a carbon copy what would be the point? Each one brings his or her own personal stamp to the part and should be appreciated for his or her own artistry. So, dare to do what you love. That is all that matters.

• Avoid Negative People. Stay away from them because they would sap your positive energy.   When I was in the network marketing business, these types of people were like sharks in a feeding frenzy. They are out looking for prey. They would bring you deep down into the cold, almost lifeless abyss. They are also like Agent Smith in the Matrix. All they do is spreading virus and preventing you from being The One that you should become.

• Be Fearless. Working for yourself and going it all alone seems to be a scary idea, right? But not for me. Well, I used to agree. I used to think getting a good paying job defines security until I was introduced to the concept of creating my own job and be my own boss. People are so use to avoiding risks and they do it by all means. Sure enough, if you stay out of your safe and controlled zone, you will find how liberating it is on the other side.

  The feeling you get is beyond explanation.Being undaunted clears away the blur. It’s funny how you begin to see the unseen too. You will stop worrying about layoffs and downsizing. Above all else, you will reach the other end of the tunnel with a great find—that money no longer matters in the end. When you have brought out The One in you, everything you need shows itself up easily.

When you work as your own boss, making decisions on what you are going to build and how you’re going to go about it is exciting as well as challenging. I admit as part of human weakness, sometimes there will be instances that you come to doubt yourself, especially when you know that everyone else is at odds with what you’re working on. But you don’t have to wake up believing in what you cannot do. So, defy life’s gravitational pull. Believe you can do it, because that is the key to confidence and a major part in practicing the art of self leadership. And that what makes things happen too.