Ok Charging Rhinos... This is a Club Rhino Member Only Priviledge...  Here's a chance to take a Sneak Peak at the Opening of my Upcoming Book which will be released soon and it's called THE CHARGING SPIRIT...  It's a Success Fable...  The book actually begins after this opening that our Members now have a chance to read...  Go, Go, Go!!!

Jonathan stared at the telephone receiver in his hand. Its dial tone was faint but the sound of rejection was deafening. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," he muttered to himself.

Returning the receiver to its cradle, Jonathan lowered himself into his armchair with a sigh. It had been five months since he decided to give network marketing a shot and so far, it was tough - a lot tougher than he had expected. Sure, Gordon and Lynn, the couple who had introduced him to the business never said it was going to be easy but they had not told him that it was going to be this difficult either.

"Jon, are you sure this is what you want to do?" his wife had asked him when he first started, her normally cheery face lined with concern. "Many people have jumped into network marketing only to be burned or disappointed. Are you sure this is for you?"

"Look, Helen, I know what I'm doing. It may be hard at first but things will get better as time goes by. I'm going in with both my eyes open and I'm prepared for the challenge," said Jonathan with a confident smile. "After all, what's the road to success without a few speed bumps every now and then, right?"

And that was how he had handled the concerns of all his family and friends. Everyone was worried that he was being conned into an illegal "pyramid scheme" and would get ripped off and wind up broke, bitter and alone. They wondered if he was being brainwashed and misled by these network marketers who were promising him everything under the sun: financial and time freedom ... a successful business ... a full and happy life ... How could such fancy dreams possibly come true?

As a result, Jonathan spent his first month in network marketing attending to his family and friends' endless questions and ignoring the discouraging, hurtful remarks that were constantly thrown at him. It was a huge challenge especially since he was struggling to get his network marketing business up and running while still working at his full-time job. And on top of everything, he had to work hard every day to maintain his optimism and motivation, and fight the occasional temptation to quit. Things were certainly tough and they were not getting any easier.

However, Jonathan's determination would not let him give up. He charged on. "A few hiccups are not going to stop me!" he told himself. 

But that was five months ago.

The speed bumps on his road to success were unfortunately, becoming bigger and appearing more frequently. Just two days ago, a colleague came up to Jonathan and asked jovially, "So how's the network marketing thing going? You're still going to those seminars and listening to those feel-good tapes?"

"It's going all right and yes, I still am."

"You're attending talks, calling up people, doing presentations and all that and you're just doing all right? I'm thinking you should be a roaring success by now!"

"It's only been five months, Keith."

"Yeah, but with the amount of time and effort you're putting in, you should be reaping the results soon!"

Thinking about what Keith said two days ago made Jonathan wonder why he was not "reaping the results" as he should be. Shouldn't things be easier by now? Was something wrong here? Perhaps network marketing was not really suitable for him. Perhaps his wife had a point. Maybe he should just give up all this financial freedom nonsense and go back to his job. Maybe this was all a big mistake.

Just then, the phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hi Jon. It's Melanie."

Jonathan's heart sank. From the tentative tone of Melanie's voice, he could guess what was coming. He had heard it before: she was going to cancel that night's appointment.

"Listen, about tonight's meeting. Bill and I are going to have to take a rain check on it. Turns out he has to work late tonight and won't be back in time."

"I can still meet up with you first tonight and..."

"No, I think it would be better if Bill and I could meet up with you together."

"Ok. Can we fix another date then? Say, this Saturday evening at eight?"

"Um, I don't think so. Why don't I ring you when we have a good date?"

Not having the energy to try to convince Melanie to change her mind, Jonathan wearily agreed and hung up. Great. That makes zero number of appointments this week. He closed his organizer with a heavy heart. It was only half past eight in the night but already, he was physically and emotionally drained.

Going into the living room, he saw his wife absorbed in the evening news on TV. "Helen, I'm going to bed."

His wife looked up in surprise. "But it's only half past eight. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. Goodnight." Before Helen could utter a word, Jonathan turned around and trudged upstairs to the bedroom.

After a quick shower, Jonathan collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes. Sleep would not come. He lay there for what felt like hours, his mind still actively thinking over the events of the past five months. Dread filled him as he recalled one disappointing episode after another. By the time he fell asleep, it was close to midnight. He knew because that was usually the time Helen turned in and the last thing he remembered before drifting off to sleep was his wife slipping quietly into bed beside him.

[OK EVERYONE... I WILL STOP HERE FOR NOW... THIS IS JUST THE OPENING PART OF MY UPCOMING BOOK CALLED "THE CHARGING SPIRIT"...  THE BOOK REALLY HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET... WHAT HAPPENS AFTER JONATHAN FALLS ASLEEP IS WHERE ALL OF THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS...]

[I'M STILL ALTERING THIS OPENING SESSION; THUS, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ANY COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK THAT I MAY CONSIDER WHEN DOING MY REVISIONS IF YOU DESIRE TO GIVE ANY...]

Keep Charging,

Jerry "DRhino" Clark

ClubRhino.com