A couple of months ago I did a panel with a group of Diamonds in Plexus.  Our CEO led it and asked us a series of questions.  One of the questions I was asked was “what is one of the top mistakes you see ambassadors make?”  I knew this was a possible question and at first had been a bit nervous about getting it.  It seems very loaded on the surface.  I never want to judge others businesses and determine that they are making a “mistake” in how they are working it. Everyone is different and what works for some doesn’t work for others.  The more I thought about it, the more I prayed I did get the question.  Because one thing did jump to my mind that is often the killer of so many businesses and dreams around me.

I know you all are dying to know… what is that huge mistake?  It’s simply this.  Far too often people focus on what they are NOT and what skills they do NOT have rather than who they ARE.  It’s the thing that stops so many in their tracks before they even start.  “I can’t sell.”  “I’m too shy.”  “I don’t have a big network.”  “I don’t have time.”  They list off all the reasons why they won’t succeed before they even attempt.  You know what, if their mindset stays this way, they are 100% right.  They won’t succeed.  I could have said every single one of those about myself and I would have been correct.  I’m a terrible “salesperson”.  If someone wants me to give them a salespitch, I’m awkward and it shows.  So not my niche.  “I’m too shy”. Yep, I am.  The end.  “I don’t have a big network.”  I honestly didn’t think I did either.  Before joining my company, I had about 350 facebook friends.  That’s it. “I don’t have time.”  Y’all, I was stretched so thin at the beginning.  I couldn’t even see straight.  If I had left my mindset there, that would have been it.  I would not have succeeded and I wouldn’t have moved forward.  I had a shift though to what I do well and this is the key.  We all have strengths.  THAT is what you build your business on.  I’m a good friend.  That’s not something you normally think of as a skill, but it is.  I might not have had a huge network, but the network that I did have trusted me.  I might be shy, but when I start talking one on one, I like to truly get to know the person.  Small talk is miserable for me, so I’d rather talk about “real” things.  That skill of wanting to really know people was essential for my business.  I’m a terrible salesperson, but I LOVE people and want the best for them.  I was never trying to “sell” anyone a product, I was trying to give them their best life possible.  One where they felt amazing. The last thing I would ever want anyone to feel about me is that they were just a “number” to me.  The skill of “connecting” with people was a huge asset to me.

Each of us have strengths and each of us have weaknesses.  If you spend your time focusing on your weaknesses, you are wasting valuable energy.  Find what YOU do well and DO IT!  If you are into nutrition and health, focus on learning the ingredients and changing the world around you. If you have a large network, rock it!  If strategy is where you excel, come up with a rocking game plan.  If you love people, continue to do it well!  There is no limit to what leads to success, find your thing and just go for it.  Stop paralyzing yourself by reciting what you perceive to be flaws on a daily basis.  Change your thinking and you will see your business change as well.