Problems Network Marketers Face (And How To Tackle Them)
9:58 P.M. – I get home from my nightly walk around the block and I hear water running when I unlock the front door…
“Gosh, it must be the hot water tank?” I mutter to myself.
You see, I just had the heating element replaced on my hot water tank, so that was my first thought, but…
“Maybe it’s just filling up, or heating, or something?”
Yeah, it’s filling up alright.
As soon as I open my closet door (the water tank is actually in my closet) I’m drenched with spitting water. It’s literally pouring out of my closet – I SLAM THE CLOSET DOOR.
The water doesn’t care… It soaks through my carpet… It’s seeps towards me in my socks… It occurs to me that this is an emergency.
Forget the plumber, the electrician, the handyman. If I don’t battle the hissing dragon in my closet IT WILL KILL ME and everything I own.
I jump in there! In the water!
It splashes… It hisses… It sizzles… I remember this thing called “electricity” but there’s no time to think – this is an emergency!
I flip levers on the hot water pipes… damned if I know what they do or don’t do… one goes RICKETY RANK CRANK SKANK… I’m a little worried.
Another does nothing at all – what the?
The last one, by golly, it actually stops the water.
I collapse on the soaked carpet and breathe a sigh of relief…
It’s just another day in the life of Jason Better…
time to write another blog post before I go to bed…
Why not take a break? I’ll tell you why…
It’s because life won’t ever give you a break…
You see, every six months or so your water tank will try to kill you, your car will fly off the road, or you will be struck by lightning while skydiving – that’s life.
The difference between leaders and losers isn’t the problems they face, it’s how they face their problems and move on.
If you enjoyed this blog post then please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. It’s definitely appreciated. 
Thank you,
-Jason the “Better Networker”
-The Jason Better Blog
113 Comments
Jerome Ratliff on April 21st, 2010
Hey J,
Life and business always throws us a monkey wrench. It’s what we decide to do with it is what really matters.
For me, when I’m put in the most awkward position, I find my creative side really shines.
Even though I prefer to not get into awkward situation.
It’s a good thing we have to choice.
Catch you later,
Jerome Ratliff
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April 21st, 2010 at 11:15 am
But, awkward situations make life fun.
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April 21st, 2010 at 11:18 am
That’s for sure. It does make it fun though.
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Josh Garcia on April 21st, 2010
Hey Jason,
That sucks! But just like you said, “Suck it up and move on!”
A true leader doesn’t let little obstacles hold them back. As a matter of fact, I bet you look back at yesterday and you are probably laughing about it…Wrestling with a hot water heater. Wasn’t the water coming out of it was hot!
Anyway, Chat with you later…
Josh
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April 21st, 2010 at 11:15 am
I wish the water was hot…
It didn’t feel like it was.
Maybe because my blood was boiling in the heat of battle? Hmmm…
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Ilka Flood on April 21st, 2010
Hi Jason,
Very sorry this happened to you, but you handled it extremely well.
I can relate somehow. Can’t count how many times our basement has been flooded. Every time we get heavy rain I cringe. When it happens you just step up and do what has to be done. You really don’t have a choice. Well, you do. But what’s the alternative?
Hope today is a better day for you.
Ilka
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Nelson Montanez on April 21st, 2010
Well said Jason. No use in complaining as no good will ever come from it. Handling situations in a positive manner is what sets leaders apart. Seeing a problem should be viewed as a challenge to overcome and move on because it causes us to grow. When the next problem in our life occurs, we can be well seasoned problem solvers.
Take care Jason.
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Sometimes you just have to jump in and get your feet wet. 
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Dwayne Huggins on April 21st, 2010
The measure of a man is not set by the challenges he face. Its is set by how he faces up to the challenge – Author (I can’t remember)
Its boring when you give up.
You get no rewards
No love
No respect
No appreciation
Why would you want to go down that road.
Throw me a broken hot water tank, lets go conquer the beast!
Dwayne
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Hi Dwayne, I liked what you said. Yes, it is boring when you give up, and mostly when we are in the right path to success as Networkers.
Keep it good, and Blessings.
Joe Lasa
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Awesome…
Looks like I must have read that one somewhere. Weird how
the subconscious spits these things up when you’re writing.
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Yadvinder Singh on April 21st, 2010
The problems always come unexpected and they will never say that ok today I will come at ten’o'clock
at your house. And clearly this shows that the leaders are also human and they face the same problems the common people do. But they stick on with a deeper belief that “This too shall pass away”. Thanks for the post Jason.
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Lynda Cromar on April 21st, 2010
Yes it took me a long time to realize that its not that your problems are no longer there, its that you grow bigger than your problems! Your problem solving ability gets better! I have a new blog I would love people to visit: http://www.ihavesomethingtosayaboutthat.com and leave comments, thanks in advance!
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Hey Lynda, I will have to check that out.
Although, I’m surprised the spam filter let the link through.
I know some of the “better bunch” have been caught by that
my monster of a spam filter lately. 
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Melodie Kantner on April 21st, 2010
I love the way you take the annoying event and turn it into a lesson. It’s so true. We all face obstacles but we can’t let them stop us.
Melodie
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Challenging.
It would have been annoying if I let it bother me.
But sometimes disaster can be fun.
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Harold Hutchinson on April 21st, 2010
My non-profit provides services to over 100 special needs adults who must cope with their disabilities every day. Mostly they could not even cope with what you just described. Count your blessings that God gave you complete facilities to tackle every day crisis and move on. When you “move on”, remember to pray for those who face more severe challenges and can’t move on. Better yet, when you become “successful”, give back by serving those needs in your community.
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I’m grateful every day.
I would tackle a water heater every day if I had to.
And feel lucky to do so.
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Ken West on April 21st, 2010
Hey Jason,
This reminds me of a great Jim Rohn quote that I posted on my blog a couple weeks ago:
“We all must wage an intense, lifelong battle against the constant downward pull”.
This is why leaders are always seeking personal development.
Way to stay positive, my friend.
Great post.
Ken
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:59 pm
The great Jim Rohn.
That man was truly an inspiration.
IS truly an inspiration.
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Tommy DiPietro on April 21st, 2010
Hey J,
You too! The pipe that drains my washing machine had a leak and it decided to blow.
Water everywhere in my basement. I tend to boil up, (u could of scrambled 2 eggs on my bald head). But I learned to control my temper (Irish/Italian mix, can’t help myself) and realize I can not control some circumstances.
Life throws you some curve balls, some wait for their pitch. I hit curveballs.
How do you like them apples!
Have a great day…
Tommy D.
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April 21st, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Sounds like we’re in the same boat.
All we can do is paddle.
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Mark Gubuan on April 21st, 2010
Here’s a great exercise for everyone:
When **** hits the fan, think of 3 positive things about your situation.
Then think of 3 solutions and pick the best one.
Mark
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Susan Redmon on April 21st, 2010
Ooh! Sounds like you had an unexpected mess to clean up.
But hey … you could have walked out and let water destroy the whole house. Instead you stayed focused and took action to avoid an even worse situation.
It’s all about keeping your feet moving … forward.
Wishing you a better day,
Susan
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April 21st, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Unfortunately, the carpet absorbed the worst of it.
I figure, I’ll wait till they remove the whole water tank before I clean-up.
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April 21st, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Huge mistake to wait on the clean up! The longer you wait, the more water damage you get. If things stay wet long enough, mold will set in, the black nasty kind that make you sick. Rent a carpet cleaning machine and start getting the water up immediately, then pull the carpet up and let things get really, really dry. Put fans anywhere that are wet, get the closet dried out ASAP once the water heater is out. But waiting at all to get the water out of your carpet is a mistake. Carpet is full of bacteria and the longer it stays wet, the more bacteria grow.
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April 21st, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Wow Karen,
You’re starting to scare me. But I’m going to take your advice about
the fans and get them near the closet. That carpet is toast.
Rhonda Miller on April 21st, 2010
OMG I am flippin rolling on the floor cracking up. Not because it’s really funny, but because I have been there more than once.
And it is absolutely true. There ain’t a thing you can do about it, but spend 5% of your time screaming censored words and 95% of your time figuring out how to fix it and move on.
I’ve waded through water before Jason and I feel for you, but this was a very profound article in the sense that crap is gonna happen and how are we preparing ourselves ahead of time to react to those situations.
Thanks for sharing a bit of your personal life:)
Rhonda
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April 21st, 2010 at 1:21 pm
You haven’t lived till your home tries to destroy you, I guess? haha.
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Amy on April 21st, 2010
Your timing is always impecable, Jason. That’s exactly what I needed today in the face of my monkey wrench. 
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
-A
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April 21st, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Be careful with that monkey wrench!
I had to manage with my bare hands, guessing, and a lot of luck.
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Lori Winslow on April 21st, 2010
I’m sorry that you had water problems, but I really needed this post today.
I was feeling a little down and kinda lagging a bit in getting things done today, but you just reminded me that I have things to do and I have to get them done.
Thank you, and I hope you get all your water cleaned up soon’
Lori
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Susanna Fera on April 21st, 2010
Thanks to Jerome’s comment regarding a Monkey Wrench….I now cannot stop singing Foo Fighters “Monkey Wrench.”
There are life lessons hiding around every corner that correlate so much with continually pursuing your dream…even when you have a GEYSER in your closet:)
Susanna
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Gayle on April 21st, 2010
Ha, that water situation happens all the time with kids LOL, well done you, we have a distinct advantage us parents – we get heaps of practise and yes, have to just sort it and act like its no big deal (the kids are watching our reaction) thanks for the vivid story though and of course your leadership.
Hope you had a lot of towels!
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fred on April 21st, 2010
I read a blog recentely that used a analogy of a old asian legend.Are you a carrot an egg or a tea leaf.When each of these are put in boiling water what happens .Do you get soft like a carrot.Do you get hard inside like a egg or do you make fragrant sweet tea like the tea leaf
I try to make tea
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Felicisimo on April 21st, 2010
The plumber ought to be hanged. He should never have left your premises before the tank was full. Then he would have known that there was a leak.
In fact a good handyman must never leave a job until he is 101% sure everything is in perfect order.
Hey Jason, you know? You just gave me a great idea!
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April 21st, 2010 at 3:40 pm
You would hope so.
But I guess, not everybody loves their job.
At least he’s not a surgeon!
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Dan Johnson on April 21st, 2010
Nice lesson from a bad experience, not to mention a cold shower the next morning. There’s a saying also about,”that that don’t kill you, only makes you stronger”.
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Twila Jacobs on April 21st, 2010
Hey Jason,
That stinks that happened, but you are right on.
Life comes at you hard and when it does it’s a measure of a person’s character how they handle the situations.
My week isn’t as planned, but I keep on keepin’ on, even at 2am.
Sorry I laughed while reading it…you have an entertaining way of telling a story.
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April 22nd, 2010 at 8:04 am
Laugh away Twila.
It would have been even funnier to see!
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Rebecca on April 21st, 2010
Hi Jason,
Sorry to hear about the water heater. I’m glad you didn’t get hurt turning it off.
You are so right about not getting so caught up in life that business gets derailed.
To me Jeff Combs is the master. Last week he shared a story at a meeting I was at, about giving a coaching call whilst items in his home were being collected by the IRS for a criminal investigation. He finished the coaching call and stayed focused on his task of training.
I look forward to learning more from leaders like yourself.
Hope you have hot water soon.
Rebecca.
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April 21st, 2010 at 7:19 pm
I have hot water already.
Those guys move quick.
Thankfully.
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Richard Kaulfers on April 21st, 2010
Remind me not to go to your house, Ride in your car or ever jump out of a plane with you.
Life does go on. It will not stop. People(average) truly do care more about their tooth hurting with a cavity then they do about you and your problems.
Have a great week everyone.
Tip: Always check your oil when you fill up your TANK.
Richard Kaulfers.
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April 21st, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Your comment made me choke on my coffee.
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April 21st, 2010 at 8:33 pm
I am not sure if thats good or bad but the message is all the same. We must do what needs done to get things the way we want them to be. No one is is really going to care either way. Which is why most people do not start to take action. They are worried about being judged.
Glad to spark a reaction from yeah.
As always Have a great week.
Tip: Always use oven mitts.
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April 22nd, 2010 at 8:00 am
Oven mitts?
Tracey Hausel on April 21st, 2010
Oh boy! We’ve had our hot water heater stop working, but thankfully we didn’t have the flooding you did.
Jason, you are right. What separates leaders from the pack is the ability to overcome obstacles.
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Clarissa Winchester on April 21st, 2010
Awesome article, Jason! Definitely something I needed to read today – I have to move and fix all of my problems and issues “by any means necessary”. I totally agree with Karen – get the water up and out as soon as you can. You really do not want water to sit in your home and create mold.
Thankful it wasn’t worse!!
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April 21st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Thanks Clarissa,
It was one of those plushy carpets too.
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Monique Alvarez on April 21st, 2010
Oh Jason, you reminded me of the time Derek and I were fixing a leaking toilet and we missed one important step on the YouTube tutorial.
Suddenly we had a rushing river pouring out of our wall, Derek was soaked and I was running around the house aimlessly! Thankfully Derek knew what to do.
I really like how you put it…The difference between leaders and losers isn’t the problems they face, it’s how they face their problems and move on.
The faster you can laugh and move on, the better off you’ll be.
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April 21st, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Yeah, I wish we had a video camera — that was hilarious!
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April 22nd, 2010 at 7:56 am
Monique,
Don’t even bring up toilet troubles!
Hah, I think we’ve all had a few of those but thankfully my toilet never sent water pouring out of my wall. lol.
Although, I had one that somehow had hot water in it?
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Derek Alvarez on April 21st, 2010
Hey Jason,
This has got to be my favorite post you’ve done!
I’m sure you’re pretty annoyed with that water heater, but at least you can get it off your chest today by writing about it.
(Maybe you’ll even be able to laugh it off pretty soon here)
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April 22nd, 2010 at 7:57 am
Well you know, if disasters didn’t happen there wouldn’t be anything to write about.
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Jannette Barrett on April 21st, 2010
What a clever little cartoon man you are but the electricity was a pretty important factor. You reminded me of when I was at the world air show in Osh Kosh and the hot water tap came completely off in the shower at the house we were renting subjecting me to a powerful force of boiling hot water. I ran screeming and naked around the house looking to wake everyone else up to help me. We had to go hunting for the water mains tap outside (I had clothes on by then) to stop the problem. We live – we move on – and in time we laugh about it.
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April 22nd, 2010 at 7:58 am
Ouch!
I’m glad the water heater here was broken then… I would have looked like a cooked chicken…
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Marcus Baker on April 21st, 2010
Jason…. story telling at its most “awesomeness” – thank you!!
Look fortunately you are the cartoon character you are. It would have been a whole lot worse if you had been ‘Garfield’…
Marcus
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April 22nd, 2010 at 7:59 am
I’ve been hearing a lot of these “cartoon” comments recently.
Is there an inside secret here?
I’ll get to the bottom of this.
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Craig White on April 21st, 2010
Great Story Jason,
This is one of things I love about this business. The more I study and read the more I learn. The more I learn the better prepared I am.
As Rocky Balboa said,
“Life will through some tough punches at you. Its not about how many times you get knocked down, but about how many times you get back up.”
Craig White
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April 22nd, 2010 at 8:02 am
I don’t know if you’ve seen the Rocky / Anthony Robbins video that I shared on my Better Networker profile. If you want to talk about never giving up… well… Sly Stallone takes the cake… his story is crazy.
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Emily Giuffre on April 21st, 2010
So true Jason. Thank you for taking this ordinary incident and applying it to life in general. Life really never lets up on us does it? However I think we need to learn to take a break, even though life’s circumstances wont allow us. We have to fight for that down time, so we don’t miss those important moments with our loved ones. That’s why we are all here isn’t it? Thank you for sharing Jason!
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April 22nd, 2010 at 8:06 am
I’m with you Emily,
Besides, most of my ideas float up during down time.
I don’t know if you’re like that too?
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Susanna on April 21st, 2010
Oh that does suck Jason.
Cartoon characters seem to dry off pretty fast though.
I love this post. You’re a good story teller, you should do it more often.
Yup, gotta keep moving forward no matter what life throws at you. The faster you get back in the saddle the better.
Great post!
Susanna
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April 22nd, 2010 at 8:08 am
Cartoon!
I’m almost offended.
But you mixed that with a few compliments so you’re all clear.
You must have read that Dale Carnegie book Susanna.
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Mitchell Dillman on April 22nd, 2010
Holy Cow Jason,
That’s how I learned to sweat pipe…Life comes at us FAST! And sometimes HOT!
Once you’ve realized you are where you are based on the decisions you’ve made, you begin to consider more fully the decisions you make…
Some of us live life in reaction to what happens to us…Others, well…Let me put it like this,
Some folks watch to see what’s gonna happen…Others Make things happen. While others, they stand back and wonder just what the f*#@ happened!
This is Earth Day…Let’s collectively Make Things Happen for good!
Thanks Jason…I’m glad you learned something new from your experience.
That’s what it’s all about!
Your friend, and Eco Warrior
Mitchell Dillman
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April 22nd, 2010 at 8:10 am
You reminded me!
Should I be wishing everybody a Happy Earth Day then?
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Mitchell Dillman on April 22nd, 2010
Hey now J…Almost forgot,
Get on over to DillmanSolutions.com to learn how you can do your part to help our Planet!
Make it a GREAT Earth Day!
MD
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April 22nd, 2010 at 8:12 am
Hey,
I already do my part.
I recycle toilet paper rolls.
It’s the only way I can soothe my guilty conscience for killing 40+ trees a day.
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Pamela Bell on April 22nd, 2010
Great post! Thanks for the motivational reminder to keep it moving!
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Jeremiah on April 23rd, 2010
Toxic diapers full of Hazardous Waste usually find me as I’m sitting down for another TF 2.0 session or pre-qualing an prospect. The joys of fatherhood!
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Dolores Luz on April 29th, 2010
I’m now just reading this post of yours and I’m glad I did, late as I am. I had malicious spyware in my pc and could not access the internet. I had to backup all my files and had a new operating system installed. I won’t go into the rest of all the things I had to change .. life always throws us unexpected events when we least expect it. Just like you, it always comes out best when we see the the glass as half full instead of half empty!
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April 30th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Ouch!
It took me a whole day to re-install my operating system the one time I had to do it.
I almost tossed the PC in the garbage and bought a Mac again.
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Cathie Heath on April 30th, 2010
Doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, how much experience you have (or don’t have)…
Life just “lifes” you every day!
LOVE the post, Jason!
PS&BTW – I had to chuckle remembering the day I got a panicked phone call from my daughter cause the exact same thing was happening in my utiity room! (They do hiss loudly, don’t they?)
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Ronald Cheek on April 30th, 2010
I know exactly what you mean Jason. One time in the middle of following up with prospects one of my tenants call about the A/C going out in one of my rental properties. I’m like I’m not an A/C person what do you expect me to do, lol. And a couple of hundred dollars later, maybe I need to start an A/C repair business !? lol
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April 30th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Duct tape and a hammer.
That’s my solution.
Seems to work sometimes.
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Mike Hutchins on April 30th, 2010
“Nothing so bad that it couldn’t be worse, from the ride in the cradle till the ride in the hearse!”
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Rodney Gainous, Jr. on April 30th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Good story. It fits in line with my theme for the year. “Be Consistent!” Regardles of what’s going on around me, I have to be consistent and work on developing me and my business.
Like you said, “life won’t give you a break” so I have to keep on, keepin’ on.
Thanks again.
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Eric Smith on April 30th, 2010
“It’s in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” – Tony Robbins
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April 30th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I see we have a Tony fan here.
It’s been a while since I broke out my Tony tapes.
Love the quote Eric.
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April 30th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
I became very conscious of my decisions in life after reading Awaken the Giant Within…that’s why when the rice cooker breaks after replacing the refrigerator, I just had to laugh.
Sitting on wet carpet is, also, a load of laughs!
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May 1st, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it.
Bud Corwin on April 30th, 2010
Hey Jason,
It’s been a few days now since this incident happened. Have you gotten the water all dried up now? Sure hope so. That ugly old black mold that forms is tough stuff to get rid of. My wife and I live in a motorhome. Last year her washer/drier sprung a leak and I didn’t notice it till it really soaked the wood floor. It took about a week after it was repaired till the floor finally dried. We also had a leak from our hot water tank shortly after we bought the motorhome, which was in Feb 2004. After I fixed that leak it took a few days to dry the floor. Hopefully, we won’t have any more leaks for a while. Yes, you just have to grin and bare it when **** happens. Hope you have a great weekend and keep the good posts coming.
Bud
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May 1st, 2010 at 1:46 pm
It is all dried up.
Had fans out and everything.
But the carpet is toast.
Have a great weekend too Bud.
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Mike E. on April 30th, 2010
Jason, you are very wise for a cartoon character. Your message speaks volumes. Can’t let the hot water tank stop us in our tracks on the path to freedom.
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May 1st, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Just for a cartoon character?
Why I oughta!
Hey! Why does everybody keep calling me a cartoon anyway?
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Jared Wiener on May 4th, 2010
Jason,
You did it again my man! Another great post. I’m actually building a blog as of now and would love to you to take a look after its done.
I love your analogy with the pipe’s bursting and dealing with whatever comes your way in life. Essentially, your blog is summed up this way “When life send you lemons, make lemonade”.
Jared
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Abhishek Jha on November 5th, 2010
This article thought me:
1>”life won’t ever give you a break…”
I face this.. almost every day or week, this is a magically superb thing..
2>”The difference between leaders and losers isn’t the problems they face, it’s how they face their problems and move on.”
I knew this but used to often forget this when very big troubles come up due to my head not working, but from now i’ll keep it in my head.. plus I would also like to write an guest post on confidence and self-motivation on your blog.
I bet after this you should stop network marketing and start an “ART OF LIVING” or “SURVIVAL STRATEGIES” website, it will surely make big bucks.. and if you are sucessfull in that then send me some money because:
1>I helped you discover your hidden talent.
2>I need some bucks too.
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Kerie
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April 21st, 2010 at 11:15 am
Thank you Kerie
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February 20th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Are you saying when life gives you lemons make lemonaide out of it?
Or are you saying life is 10% what happens to you & 90% how you respond to it?
Anyway, awesome post.
- Warren Little
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February 20th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Appreciate your comment Kerie.
Sorta remind me of the saying,”It not the blowing of the winds in life but the setting of the sails”
Great observations.
- Warren Little
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