Observation: It is amazing how many successful network marketers (heavy hitters) market generic business support and training materials. (At some point in time they will "pitch" their opportunity; "back-end" opportunity if you will). Makes you wonder where money is.

Does it pay to join a business opportunity "under" a heavy hitter or use their secrets?

In my opinion, answer is a resounding NO. The reason is, to copy a phrase from financial industry, that past performance is no indication of future success. What worked for one person, may not work for another because of differences in circumstances, individual skills and like. Remember guy in desert?

In fact, joining a business opportunity under a heavy hitter may be detrimental to your wealth health.

For long term residual income, a business must be based on retailing or consumption of products or services. Consumers must want and use products because of value associated with product. Not fact that there is a business opportunity associated with product. If people join a business opportunity because of compensation plan or "personality" currently promoting opportunity, there is a tendency for them to leave when a better compensation plan or "personality" comes along. There is nothing worse than having a portion of your downline disappear because they moved to another opportunity with one of your upline members.

Another key to success and long term residual income, if you are not going to work numbers, is to take time to develop strong relationships with your business partners. Be selective with whom you allow into your business. Ideally, they will be your business partners for a long time to come. Developing strong bonds protects you and your partners from vagaries of business life like changes in company policy, compensation etc.

The truth is: get rich slowly. Build relationships first.

And those questions led to THESE questions:

- Why do I feel so driven to get so much done in one day? - How much time each day do I want to devote to marketing? - What am I trying to accomplish each day (in Net marketing)? - Do I really need to get up at 4 a.m.?

And FINALLY:

- Has Internet marketing gone from a passion to an OBSESSION? - Am I still having fun? - Do I really need to get up at 4 a.m.?

I suspect these are questions we ask ourselves frequently. I think we ask these questions when we are tired, burnt-out and frustrated…those times when we feel like failures and think we're never going to "get it."

I know that's how I felt that evening.

I was able to answer some of questions. Some I still need to think about. In particular, trying to understand where that thin line between a passion and an obsession is.

I think we HAVE to step away from computer every once in a while. We NEED to ask ourselves these questions and explore answers we come up with. And here are perhaps two most important questions of all:

- Am I ignoring special people who enhance my life? - Am I forgetting that I only have today?

"It is not length of life, but depth of life." Emerson

P.S. I threw my alarm clock in garbage.