As an industry and as individuals, we have to begin by addressing the
values issues. The kind of people who will contribute to our industry, our
businesses, and our planet are the kind of people who need to know how net-
work marketing stands as an ethical and contributing sector of the world
business community. As ethical, discerning kinds of people, we need to exam-
ine ourselves, our motives, our industry, and our businesses.
In my training programs with both new and longtime distributors, we
go back to the basics. The basics, the foundation for our business and our
lives, are our own values. By taking some time to be thoughtful about our
own values, we are able to shape our lives and businesses with purpose and
integrity. (See Figure 16.1.)
Values are our principles, our standards of conduct, our personal eval-
uation of what is important in life. Values give our lives meaning; living a
life in accord with our values is living a life of integrity, in alignment with
what we perceive to be important. When we have an awareness of what is
of most importance to us and we live it, we achieve true success in our own
eyes and hearts.
After a rapid rise through the ranks in my company, I was rear-ended in
a car accident and injured my neck and shoulder. As I convalesced with grat-
itude for the residual income arriving weekly with my postwoman, I hit a
doldrums in my attitude toward my business. I had difficulty motivating my-
self to make calls and approaches. I resisted my own advice about reading
and rereading my goals, and began to question whether I wanted to achieve
them at all.
After a few months of treading water and feeling uncommitted, I
went back to the basics with a values assessment. I had to reassess my goals
for achievement in light of my personal values. In the process, I realized
that I hadn’t been paying enough time and attention to my spiritual prac-
tices and my health regime while I was on my rapid business ascent. My re-
luctance to go full throttle in my business was a warning from my values
thermometer that I had let things become unbalanced. I had to reframe my
goals for achievement in accordance with my needs for self-care, contem-
plation, and creative expression. When I affirmed my values, reframed my
goals, and made space in my schedule to prioritize my values, I felt re-
newed enthusiasm for my business and experienced a phenomenal growth
phase. Now I was attracting individuals with the maturity and integrity to
live their lives with the drive, vision, and balance to achieve their values-
based goals.
Networking is a highly ethical way to create wealth and growth in our
lives and share that wealth and growth with others if we approach it with
clarity about our values. Take some time to do your own values assessment.
You might want to approach it as a full day retreat and include some time be-
fore and after the writing exercises for walking, meditation, and prayer. You
Finding Your North Star 121