After years of meticulous research and introspection (not to mention hours of expensive therapy, and large sums of money spent on self-help books), I have finally formed what seems to be an accurate and enlightening self diagnosis. Seems I have suffered from an affliction I have chosen to refer to as O.D.D. (Oppositional Defiance Disorder). This self-revelation has meant having to admit to myself that I haven't always been the open-minded, flexible and unbiased individual that I always believed myself to have been, and certainly not the one that you read posting this article before you now.
Just taking a quick look around I can see that I am not alone and that this "dis-ease" claims many sufferers. Perhaps it has become an epidemic and clinical research studies are in order. Maybe they'll need volunteers. Would you qualify? You can easily make your own self diagnosis by answering a few simple questions:
- How many tasks do you perform the hard way simply because it's the only way you know how?
- How many problems are you failing to solve because you haven't been "teachable" and haven't been willing to seek out solutions that would work?
- How may opportunities have you not taken advantage of because you didn't understand something and were unwilling to put forth the effort or take the time to learn something new?
If you can answer "yes" to any of the above, perhaps it's time for a change. Being "teachable" means opening your mind to the possibilities of growth and self-development.
Phrases like "I can't" or "I won't" or "I don't know how" need to be erased from your daily vocabulary and be replaced with "I can learn how". Fear is the underlying cause for our refusal to let go of the familiar and admit that there might be a better way. We need to be prepared and even look forward to new learning experiences. We need to perceive them as opportunities for growth.
How particularly true this is of the Network Marketing industry. Product lines, marketing strategies, customer response and business relationships all evolve over time making it essential that we remain teachable and open to new ways of developing and evaluating methods for business success at all times.
Nothing changes if nothing changes. That may sound like a very simplistic concept, but how often we choose to ignore it in favor of our O.D.D. tendencies to avoid anything new or admit that we might be wrong. The simple fact is that if we continue doing what we've been doing, we'll continue getting the same results and may never get a chance to reap the benefits what could prove to be a better approach. The solution? Remain teachable!
