Nobody likes to think they suck at anything. But I have to admit, I was TERRIBLE at online network marketing when I started. But I've been through an expensive and time consuming learning curve, and want to help you avoid making the same mistakes I did, so you can move from the "stink it up" phase to the "walk the stage" phase of your business!

Here are eight things you can do to ensure success:

1. Have a strong Why. This is definitely number one. If you don't have a very clear vision of what you want, and a "never say die" attitude, you probably won't succeed anywhere, in anything. Spend some time getting very clear on what you want, why you want it, and commit to pay the price to get it.

2. Join the right company. This one was painful for me because I had many good friends in my former company, and I was very loyal. But as I tried to build my organization online, I came to understand that they didn't get it with the internet, they weren't going to get it any time soon, and the wave of opportunity was going to pass me by if I didn't find a cutting edge company. Very tough decision, but when I finally found the right company it was like taking the brakes off, my organization grew bigger in 5 months than my old team grew in 3 years!

3. Eliminate distractions. Let's face it, when you get online there's suddenly a thousand things fighting for your attention. News clips, videos, time wasting e-mails, marketing programs, video games... the list goes on and on. You have to be able to focus on your daily priorities until they are all done before you get distracted by any of these time sucking income reducers.

4. Establish a plan and strategy. If you don't know exactly how to accomplish your goals, you are likely to be sucked into "program of the week" mode. You must have a business plan, and know what activities will get you the signups you need in your business. Don't fall for every sales pitch you see. Figure out what works and commit to it, only trying new strategies after your core methods are implemented.

5. Be a good student. Too many people rely on others for their success. Listen, the only person who REALLY, DEEPLY cares about YOUR success is you. YOU must become the expert. You can't outsource your marketing education to somebody else.

6. Develop the habit of personal development. I have heard many of the top online marketers and network marketers train, and every single one of them has a personal development program. They read the good books, listen to life improving audios, and attend self improvement and marketing seminars.

7. Be willing to WORK for your dreams! There is no substitute for HARD WORK! Be willing to put in the hours to build a great business. Second to work is the issue of consistency. Online network marketing is something that has to be done DAILY. Too many people dabble at it, spending a few hours here and there. That doesn't work. It's much better to spend a little bit of time every single day than a lot of time on Saturday. If you are limited on time, just do ONE thing to improve your online business each day. Try it for a month and prepare to be amazed at how much progress you've made!

8. Have realistic expectations. Because there are so many hypy, unbelievable testimonials out there people think they are going to get to a $10,000 a month income their first month. Unfortunately, a lot of people HAVE done this online, and it can be done. But we usually don't hear the "story behind the story". Success almost always comes after a period of consistent, effective work. As great as the internet is, and as much leverage as it provides, it just makes the process easier and shorter, but you still have to go through the process. What if it takes you five years to make over $100,000 a year? Consider this: most people in the US work 40 years, 40 hours a week and only 5% reach the $100,000 a year mark, but we are willing to quit our online business in the first year if we don't achieve it?! We just need to be willing to commit to the process for as long as it takes, and give our efforts a chance to compound.

Online network marketing does work, it's a lot of fun, and it there's nothing like the "mailbox" money it provides. These eight things just aren't that hard to do. Do a "check up from the neck up" to see which of these areas you need to work on to ensure you have success in your online network marketing business!