My family are big Winter Olympic fans. We lived in Park City, Utah for 18 years and really go Olympic fever during the 2002 games in Salt Lake. (Park City hosted many of the events for those games.)

So, naturally, we have all been glued to the TV this week watching all of our Olympians “go for the Gold.” As events have been completed and interviews given, I have been pleased to hear the winners and non-winners alike speak of a characteristic that I think would help every Network Marketer to a higher level of success.

In every interview I have heard, these athletes have all stated that their primary goal was to come to the games and put down their best run/routine and let the chips fall where they may. This was never more evident than in Evan Lysacek’s post victory interview on NBC.

The Russian skater who was awarded the silver medal, complained loudly that he had performed a more difficult element than Evan had in his free skate and therefore, on the merit of that one element, should have been awarded the gold medal. Evan’s comments were first gracious, second complementary to the Russian skater and thirdly demonstrated the heart of a champion.

Evan said that his goal at the games was to skate to strong programs. Two programs that he could be proud of and that if he did that he would be able to go home from the games completely satisfied. The medal was the icing on the cake, but setting a personal best was the most important and satisfying thing to him.

This sentiment has been heard in the voices of Shawn White, Bodie Miller, Apollo Ohno, Torah Bright, Hanna Teeter, Kelly Clark, Lindsey Vonn, and Julia Mancuso. The theme is that the games are a time to peak and perform at your best. If you accomplish this goal you are able to continue the rigors of practice and sacrifice that it takes to be an Olympian.

Now, let’s translate that to your network marketing business. I think that there are three key ingredients here:

You need to set your own goals and not fall victim to the expectation of others. Johnny Wier said that while he had hoped for more than a sixth place finish in the Men’s Figure Skating event, he had given his all and could leave Vancouver completely satisfied.

Don’t let the “top distributors” in your organization set the standard for you. You set the standard and you build to those standards. If you do, you can wake up every day satisfied and excited about the rigors of building your business day in and day out.

You need to seek your personal best in the development of your business. In my primary business there are less than a handful of people who have reached the top position in the company. That position is great for them and while I may have plans to join them at the top, to do that I have to work at my best day in and day out.

The only time I need to be hard on myself is when I let myself and/or my team down by giving up on myself or them. Apollo Ohno spoke in a feature story about how he “gave up” in his first Olympic trials. He learned from it and is now poised to win a seventh medal and take his place as the most medaled US athlete in his discipline. He had to skate for  himself first.

You need to understand that rewards and recognition come to those who work hard and don’t quit. I had the privelege to meet the US skeleton team in 2002. I was able to go to a practice session and stand around causally with the team at the starting gate while they practiced. Seeing those athletes working hard through injuries and personal difficulties to fulfill their dreams was very inspiring.

When you own a network marketing business that you run from home, it is easy to step back from the work when times get tough. When you are having a dry spell, when things are not happening like you think they should, when you upline is less than enthusiastic     about helping you grow your business, it is easy to just turn the TV on and watch re-runs of Monk.

It is in these times when you have to decide how badly you want this thing. Do you want to have the freedom to leave your job? Do you have the desire to work through the pain and disappointment? Do you have the personal fortitude to continue to learn and grow? Only if you can answer YES to all these questions will you overcome and hit your personal best year after year.

Remember these Olympic athletes all come to the games knowing that there are only three medals in each event. Yet, in every event, many more than three show up. Learn from their desire and determination and your network marketing business will grow and be all that you need it to be!