Whether you’re new to network marketing or you’ve been doing it a while, it’s normal to feel frustrated from time to time. This makes it tough to look for any opportunities that may present themselves.

• Many new network marketers become frustrated that they’re not growing their businesses fast enough. Perhaps they’ve set high expectations for themselves and feel they should be growing at a rapid rate. 
• Other network marketers become frustrated that they’ve fallen off-track toward reaching their goals. Maybe they’ve had a less-than-stellar year or experienced a setback that threw them off their game. 
• Network marketers also become frustrated when they’re not getting responses from their networks. They work tirelessly to do their Power Hours, but hear nothing from their networks in return. 

These are all super frustrating situations! It’s no wonder that network marketers feel frustrated and stressed when they experience them. After all, they’re working hard to build their businesses. However, many of their frustrations are beyond their control. They can’t control how quickly they grow their networks. They also can’t control situations that impact their ability to work on their businesses. If they or someone they love gets sick, for example, it’s out of their control. Similarly, they can’t control if and when the people in their networks respond to them. It could be right away or it could be months from now. People get busy and it slips their minds.

However, there is one thing they can control, and that is how they view these challenges. This point of view is essential for spotting opportunities. 

Perspective: Turn challenges into opportunities

Your perspective colors everything you do. It’s how you interpret your experiences. It also has a bearing on your overall attitude. If you dwell on the negative all the time, you begin to think negatively as well. However, if you view setbacks and challenges as something you can overcome, you’ll feel more empowered. 

Reframe challenges into opportunities

When you begin to feel frustrated, step back for a minute. In the heat of the moment, it’s nearly impossible to see it for what it is. Take time to look at it critically. For example, let’s say only a couple of people have responded to your messages in the last few weeks. You’re beginning to wonder what’s going on. Think about things that have happened over the last few weeks or a month. Kids have gone back to school so that makes the parents in your network much busier. People who have taken trips are coming back and getting back into their normal lives. The gardeners in your network are getting ready to plant flower and vegetable bulbs before the first frost. Homeowners are starting to clean up their patios, yards, and gardens to prepare for the winter months. They may be cleaning the gutters and doing routine home maintenance in anticipation of cooler, dreary weather. In other words, they’re busy. It’s not a slight that they saw your message and didn’t respond – chances are, they simply just forgot. That’s not to say that you didn’t make their day and they didn’t appreciate that you reached out. It’s just that they forgot to reach back. It happens, no matter what business you’re in. 

However, many network marketers in this situation will begin to doubt themselves. They let negative thoughts creep in. As a result, they begin to doubt their abilities and wonder if this is the path they should be pursuing. Instead of seeing it as another opportunity, or the start of a series of opportunities, to reach out and listen for a need, they’ll stew in their negativity.

How to change your thinking

When negative thoughts creep in, have a mantra or favorite quote or song to turn to. Reciting the mantra/quote or listening to the song will help you step back for a moment. You’ll begin to think more positively about your skills and your reaction to the situation.

To keep you from getting frustrated in the first place, make time for healthy thinking each day. Read an uplifting book, listen to uplifting music or podcasts, surround yourself with positive and resilient people. This positivity will rub off on you and make you more resilient. Sure, you’ll experience negativity, but you’ll know it’s fleeting and you won’t let it get you down. But, most importantly, you’ll be able to train your brain into finding the opportunity in any challenge much faster. 

Put setbacks into perspective by seeing a coach/mentor’s perspective

At times, it can be difficult to see the positive in a situation. Sometimes you just can’t separate yourself from it to see it clearly. Or, you may see it for what it is, but can’t think of how to overcome it. 

A coach or mentor will provide perspective and spot the opportunity. 

A coach provides an unbiased perspective, one that you can’t get from a spouse or friend. Since they have no skin in the game, they can provide a realistic picture of things. They’ll give you their perspective and offer suggestions to help you overcome it. Often, they’ll help you create a plan to get started. Their advice will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and will empower you to move forward.

A mentor will listen to your experience and share a time they were in a similar situation. Not only will they explain what they did, but they may also reveal what they wish they had done. They will explain the opportunity they found in that situation. They can also offer advice to help you get through it to the other side.

In each situation, you get the advice you need to find the opportunity within the challenge.

Learn from setbacks

Setbacks and challenges provide the best opportunities for learning. Learning leads to growth, not only in your business but also in your mindset as well. 

What can you learn from the situation? If you’re frustrated because your business isn’t growing with your expectations, what can you do to make it grow faster? Can you reach out to more people in your network? Or can you ask your biggest advocates for introductions? What about doing a Power Hour every weekday instead of two or three a week? 

Or if you’re frustrated that you’ve fallen off-track in your goals, how far away are you from reaching them? Is it possible to get on track by the end of the year? Were your goals too ambitious for your skills this year? All of these lessons are things you can take with you when you set your goals for next year. For example, if you were too ambitious this year, perhaps once you adjust your goal, you can reach it next year. Or maybe it’s only a temporary setback and if you put in the work from now until Thanksgiving, you can turn it around.

Take the lesson and apply it 

In nearly all situations, the application of the lesson is to keep doing the work. The opportunity is to provide your clients with excellent service. In network marketing, this work is building relationships with everyone in your network. This means doing your Power Hour daily to check in with your people, listen for a need, see how you can help, and follow up. It’s asking for introductions in order to grow your business. It’s also powering through those days when you’re feeling frustrated or unmotivated. Remember your Why and your reason for doing network marketing in the first place. Every time you reach out, you’re planting the seed for the future.

Move forward

After spending time thinking and analyzing, it’s time to move forward. Although some network marketers may give in to the challenges and close up, others will be powered by a surge of motivation. And, they’ll have the tools to handle the challenge and move on should they face it again in the future. 

How will you move forward? Will you give up or will you rise above? Each day, will you login to your Teamzy Dashboard and complete your Power Hour? Will you work toward improving your mindset and preparing your business for the next challenge? And, will you help your team overcome the obstacles they may be facing and rise above?

Teamzy can help you turn challenges into opportunities

We created Teamzy specifically for network marketers, to help them build businesses based on the foundation of strong relationships. From daily activities to goal setting and tracking to personal development, Teamzy provides what you need to serve your network, nurture relationships, and build new ones. Click here to learn more.