Motivation is the key to success in direct sales, as in pretty much anything. If you're not feeling motivated, it makes it hard to take action, and without action, your goals remain unfulfilled. But did you know that certain types of motivation can actually hinder rather than help you?

Let me explain. You may have heard me say (or read on this blog before) that energy flows where attention goes.

If you're motivated by what you don't want to occur or what you're afraid will happen if you don't take action, you're focused on moving away from that vision, and often times the action you take is more difficult because of it. There's no joy in running away from something, or feeling like you have to keep moving just to stay ahead of what you're afraid might happen. And since everything starts in thought before it becomes form, think about what you're creating when you're motivated by what you don't want. By activating a picture (and usually a feeling) of what you don't want in your subconscious, and then moving away from it so that it won't happen, you're actually creating it and giving it strength.

If, on the other hand, you can create a very clear picture of what you do want, decide how it would look, sound, and feel to have it, and then start moving toward that goal, the action is motivated by a completely different feeling and picture. It feels good to move in a positive direction toward something that you want. That makes the actions you take much easier. Plus, when you're focusing your energy on what you want, you activate the Law of Attraction. I find when I can very clearly do this, the people, circumstances, and even solutions I have no idea are out there seem to find me. Simply by clearly focusing on my goal and visualizing how I'll feel once I have it.

Here are a few examples of mindset shifts you can make that will shift your motivation from moving away from to moving toward:

Change from: "I don't want to be broke and I have to be able to pay off my debt" to "I'm abundant and I know money is flowing to me as I work toward my business goals."

Change from: "I have to get more bookings or my business is going to dry up" to "I am a booking magnet and I love doing parties for all of my excited hosts."

Change from: "I'll never get everything on my to do list done. I have to work harder and longer to make it happen" to "I love taking positive action every single day with a clear plan and path to what I want to achieve."

It feels like magic and it may seem too simple, but it's really just an intentional way of opening up the flow (I call it unkinking the hose), getting out of your own way, and allowing what you need to flow to you.

One last thing. The quickest way to begin to shift from moving away from what you don't want to moving toward what you do want is to feel the feelings of already having whatever it is that you want. Just close your eyes for ten seconds a day and feel the amazing feelings of already having whatever goal you've set for yourself. As if it was real, right now. If you do nothing else and just do that, you'll be amazed at what starts to happen in your life and business.

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Julie Anne Jones is a direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific systems, language, and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.