So there I was, sitting outside my 1984 single-wide trailer house. It was the middle of June, mid-afternoon, summer in Idaho.

The sun was beating down. We had our camp trailer which was an old camp trailer, it was like 1970 something model camp trailer.

It was faded green and white paint and parked outside of our trailer house.

It was half full of camping gear and food. My wife is in the single-wide trailer house and packing stuff up.

We were ready to go on a camping trip with the family. As I’m going through this whole process, some family members stopped by to visit and said hellos.

Ive got my grandfather who is 93 years old, I’ve got myself, my aunt, my uncle, and I’ve got my trucks getting hooked up in the trailer. We’re conversing and talking back and forth.

All of a sudden, my aunt says, “Paul, I can’t believe your wife puts up with this.” And I said, “Puts up with what?”

And then she points to my single wide trailer house and then she says, “Puts up with you, keeping your family cramped in this tiny little shack.”

Right at that moment, I felt defeated. I felt crushed that my family member would say something so ruthless and literally, so heartless. To make fun of my home that I’m working for, that I was going to a job everyday paying a payment. Yeah, it was a single-wide mobile home. But you know what? It was my home. Why would my aunt say something like that?

The point of the story is, it doesn’t matter why she would say something like that. I actually learned 4 things that I want to share with you that are completely changing the way that I look at network marketing and the way I look at my home based business.

These are 4 lessons that I’ve actually gathered by the man Himself, Jesus & the parable of the sower, in the New Testament.

Here’s one recommendation that I want to give to you. Even if you’re not Christian, I encourage you to read this book. At least, the book of Matthew.

So far, I’m getting so many lessons and so many nuggets from this book that apply to network marketing.

So what are the lessons?

Jesus Parable Of The Sower Lesson 1:

There’s a point in the story where Jesus is talking to his disciples and telling them that they were going to cities, they were going to preach the message to certain types of people and that there will be people who don’t receive that certain type of message.

There will also be people who will be mean to you and say hurtful things to you. You know what he said? Here’s his advice: “As you’re leaving the city. Pull off your shoes and shake the dust off of your shoes.”

I read this on the New Testament and said to myself, “What does this mean?”

It means that when people say hurtful things, they leave a residue and you just want to dust it off your shoes or feet.

You may walk away from them but you’ve still got the dust, you still got the feeling of hurt and disappointment that came to you when they said that hurtful thing.

Well according to Jesus, when that stuff happens as you’re building your dream, you want to take your shoes off and just pound them together and shake off that residue and let it fall to the ground and put your shoes on.

Fresh and clean.

With no residue and ready to march forward into your better future and you just keep stepping toward your dream.

That’s lesson number 1, how to handle the critics.

Jesus Parable Of The Sower Lesson 2:

The other lessons came when I was studying this morning the Parable of the Sower.

This parable is incredible as it relates to network marketing and home based business.

The story goes, there’s a sower who’s sowing seeds.

You can probably imagine a gardener or a farmer who’s planting seeds.

Jesus tells a story and basically what happens is, the first set of seeds fall by the wayside and the birds come and pick the seeds up and carry them away.

What’s the wayside? It’s the side of the road or the side of a path. The birds come and pick up the seeds.

As we’re out there sowing the message, sending our emails, making our videos, connecting with people, asking the right questions, we’re sowing the message.

Some of those seeds will be taken up and the bird are going to get the seeds.

What’s the bird?

Have you ever had someone join your team and told you that they’re going to do this and that they’re committed and going to do whatever it takes.

And then something happens when they get distracted or maybe they see a shiny ball or they see another business, the birds got them! Don’t be surprised!

The birds got them.

The birds flew down and picked up the seeds and flew away with it.

That’s called distraction – when the birds get the seeds.

As Jim Rohn says, “Don’t ask why. That’s just the way it is and you keep marching toward your dream.”

That’s category number 1. The bird gets the seed.

Jesus Parable Of The Sower Lesson 3:

Second category, Jesus says that some of the seeds are going to fall on rocky round and they’re not going take root.

And when the sun comes out, it’s going to scorch the seeds and the seeds are not going to bear fruit.

What is this in network marketing?

Well I look at the seeds landing in rocky ground, it’s almost like we bring people in this business and we tell them these things that are so important to do..

We tell them to read and use their mind, listen to audios and plant their roots down to the earth so that when the sun comes out, you know what’s happening and you’re not going to be scorched by it.Because sometimes, it’s hot in network marketing.

Sometimes it’s hot in home business.

It’s like we’re in the desert and sometimes we’re thirsty and maybe things are not going the way they are supposed to, that’s the sun coming out.

And if our roots are not planted down deep into the earth,

If we haven’t been reading or listening to audios and showing up to company events and the conference calls, we will have no roots and the sun is going to scorch the seed.

Jesus Parable Of The Sower Lesson 4:

Category number 3 in the Parable of the Sower is the third type of seed falls into the ground and it starts to grow, but then there are thorny weeds.

And the scripture says that the thorny weeds choke the plant and kill it.

What are talking about here in network marketing?

Have you ever had the experience when somebody said you couldn’t do what you’re set out to do?

Or maybe somebody laughed at your dream?

When you said ‘I’m going to go forth and be free and be the best that I can and build a business and build my dreams.’

And someone laughs at you?

And someone criticizes you?

That’s like the thorn that grows out of the ground and pulls the seeds down.

And unfortunately, sometimes the thorns will get some of our team members, right?

Jesus Parable Of The Sower Lesson 5:

But the fourth kind that I’m really excited about is the kind of seed that lands in the soil and gets the water and the sunshine and the proper mix and fertilizer,

I sends its roots down deep down into the earth and produces a great crop.

The Parable of the Sower my friends, seems to be saying to me that as long as we’re out there sowing, as long as we’re doing everything that we need to do on a daily basis, we’re producing content, we’re telling others, we’re growing ourselves mentally, physically and spiritually, as long as we’re doing these things, we will find those seeds that take root deep in the earth, and we will build a life of freedom.

We will build a life of abundance, prosperity, health and wealth.

We will build a life of significance and sophistication if that’s what we want.

We’ll build a lives of influence.

These are four lessons that Jesus taught in the Parable of the Sower…

Shake the dust off your feet and be aware of the 4 types of terrain that the seeds are going to land on.

Don’t be surprised by it.

Just know that that is how it’s going to be.

It’s been that way for a long time, according to the Bible, 2000 years. Probably not going to change.

As Jim Rohn says, look at the history and gather up the past and invest in the future.

Your thoughts?