Network Marketing Today and Beyond

Priorities, baby!

Everyday we make hundreds of decisions. 

Do I wear the black skirt or jeans? 
Should I clean the bathroom or can it wait another day? 
I have a few extra hours...would my time best be spent marketing or spending time with my mom?

Yes, the last decision was one that I had to make today as I battled the winter storm this morning. 
I could have gone home. I could have gone to the coffee shop and plugged into my marketing, researching and connecting online with a Biggby Butter Bear in one hand and my feet in front of the fireplace. I made a decision.  My few hours free hours from "mom duty"were spent laughing with, sharing memories and emotions, and teaching a few social media tricks to my mom. 

I love my mom.

 
As I daily see posts from friends and the news yelling loss, I am so glad that I made the decision to connect with my mom.  I am so thankful that she is healthy, vibrant, and forever witty. 
She always makes me feel special, and today, I have another memory to cherish.

Thanks, Mom! 

Tomorrow, I will get back to business. Today, I made memories. 

Finding Joy in the Discontent

Did you ever wonder...where did the time go? 
Has it really been THAT long? 
How have I changed?  Are my goals, dreams and my purpose still the same? 

As you can see, it has been over three years since I have "blogged", connected and shared my 
thoughts. To be truthful, I have felt like a drifter and in some ways, homeless, during that time. 
I am tired of it. As I approach the wise old age of 50, I feel the urgency to leave a legacy bigger than me. To find joy through the discontent. To touch lives of those I may never meet. To hold close those who I would miss most. To create meaning in life so that I leave with a smile on my face and a celebration for those around me. 

"Without purpose there will be no focus. Without a plan there will be no action. Without belief, there will be no success."  -Kelly Wissink, first-cup-of coffee wisdom.

Wow! I find that often my Facebook posts are actually words of encouragement or frustration to myself.  Thoughts expressed.  Inspiration for action to be taken. 

And yes, can you tell, I am in a season of discontent.  I call it a season because I know, "this too shall pass".   I am not praying for the pain and confusion to leave but praying that I may grow and get stronger, more focused and believe more through it.  Pain is an inviation to grow. 

Thank you, Lord, for this invitation.  I joyfully accept and will bring focus, action and belief to achieve what you have in store for me.  I am excited and can't wait for the surprise at the bottom of the box. 

What is the name of your Pebble?

Spring had arrived! With great gusto I dusted off my tennis shoes, put the leash on my trusty walking companion, Mia, and headed out the door for my first walk of the season.  The feel of the sun on my face, the breeze blowing smells of lilac and honeysuckle, and the steady pounding on the gravel were absolutely exhilarating.  I was in a zone and loving it!

Then I felt it.  It wasn’t much and sometimes it shifted and didn’t bother me.  At times, I thought I would have to stop and do something about it.  For the most part, I could ignore it as if it wasn’t there.  I also knew that even when I ignored it, that pebble was holding me back from breaking into a run. It was a nuisance and ignoring it and pretending it wasn’t there made it even bigger.  I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and yet, I didn’t do anything to make it go away.  I let it hinder my walk by ignoring it. 

What is the name of your pebble?  You see we all have them. For some, pebbles are boulders or just plain big rocks that we try to ignore, climb over or drag along behind us.  It almost seems easier to ignore them than meet them head on and get rid of them. 

It takes time, energy, a break in our schedule.  We make up the excuse that if we stop and get rid of the pebble that we will lose our momentum. What momentum?  Can you imagine what you can do when you dig out the pebble and throw it on the roadside?

What are you ignoring? 

Is your pebble named…

Procrastination?
Fear of failure?
Fear of Success ?
Perfectionism?
Envy?
Jealousy?
Doubt?

or something totally different?

After a while, I slowed my walk, bent over, untied my shoe, dug out the pebble and threw it aside. It really wasn’t very big but man, it was sharp.  I checked my shoes for any other pebbles, brushed
off my socks, and put my shoes back on.  Aaahhh.  The pain was gone. The irritation was gone.  I was ready to run and it didn’t take very much time or effort at all.  The first step was just acknowledging
that it was there, it was preventing me from getting the most out of my run, and then taking action to get rid of it. 

Are you ready to take that first step? 

 

As I continue my journey towards vegetarianism it dawned on me how easy this transition has been. I didn't go "cold turkey" and turn my menu upside down, but each day made a conscious decision to do one small thing to change my health
and in turn, my journey has gone quickly.

What is it that you want to change in your business?

These small changes done over time can change your business, your vision and YOU in the future.

1. Read a book in your field, or one that will help you improve your mindset, for 15 minutes a day. Shoot for 10 pages a day.

2. Listen to an autobiography or biography of someone who inspires you. The number of books on CD are growing daily. Instead of listening to music on your way to your job or an appointment, pop in a CD and learn their secrets.

3. Get outside and take some time to breathe in the crisp winter air or the sea spray from the ocean and leave all of your work behind. Walk the dog. Go for a run, OUTSIDE, and step away from the stresses, deadlines and pressures that may be causing doubts and frustration in your business.

I believe in you! Remember, little changes done today will bring about BIG changes in the future.

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Sailing to Success

What did you think?

Read Everyday

Image by National Media Museum via Flickr

"Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity."-Christopher Morley

Reading five books a day to my kindergarten class eight years ago was about all of the reading I was able to squeeze in during the day.  I realize now how important it is to feed my mind every day. It took a commitment to a new profession as well as the encouragement of mentors to find the books that would inspire me on my current journey.

Here are just a few.  Pick one and make a decision to immerse yourself in one book a week  until the new year and let me know how your life and your perspective has changed.

You can read my review and the reviews of others at Goodreads.com

The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success

The Image

The Game of Life and How to Play It

The Oracle's Secret: An Inspiring Fable About Achieving Your Dreams

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

"If I...Would You...?"

I received this resource from a great friend and wanted to share it with you.


This 3 ½ minute Video training on the “If I, …. Would You?” multi-million dollar skill could help you grow your network marketing business.

I encourage you to subscribe to the FREE training videos, right on the website. There is a new 2-10 minute video each day, Monday-Friday.

Here are some other  "If I...would you..." scenarios. Do you have any others to add?

Invite*
If I .... were to invite you to a Business Presentation,
would you .... come?

*HOP (Hand Out Packets)*
If I ... were to give you this CD,
would you .... listen?

*PAP (Pre-Approach Packets)*
If I ... were to give you this (product),
would (use it)?


*GBS (Gift Bag Shows)*
If I ... were to give you this Gift Bag Show,
would you ... share it and gather orders from your family, friends,
neighbors and those you work with?

*Information Packet*
"If I ... were to mail this information packet,
would you... watch the 10 minute video on my website, write down your questions,
and meet me on the phone at this time tomorrow?"

Are you Surviving or Living?

Image via Wikipedia

If I had my choice, we would not own a TV.  I have been overridden by a sport loving husband and three video game, movie loving, PBS watching munchkins.  On nights when we snuggle together on the couch for movies, with freshly popped popcorn in hand, I am totally there and loving every minute of it.   We do have quite a movie collection from the "Sound of Music", to "High School Musical 3".  From “I Love Lucy” to “Zoom”.   One of my favorites is Disney's, Wall-E.  

I have watched it a number of times but it was not until last week that I really heard this quote from the Captain, “I don’t want to survive, I want to live!”

What do you think of when you hear this?

I believe that many of us go through life just doing enough to get by. “Getting by” financially, spiritually, emotionally and in our personal growth and development is easy. "Getting by" will not help you move forward in anything.  It is the lazy way of living.

Truly living is HARD.  Living forces you to make decisions and yes, some of them will be the wrong ones. Living allows you to see the stuff that you are really made of by facing and pushing through challenges and thinking creatively to finally get to the other side where you can savor the fruits of your labor.

Truly living is a challenge I present to you right now.  Do you want to survive or thrive? Yes, it can be done in this economy!  Are you ready to get by or to really LIVE? Let me know as I would love to encourage you along your journey!

ArtPrize Connects with the Crowd

Photo by Fellowship of the Rich

ArtPrize has brought out and brought together a community to enjoy the talents of artists from as far away as New York and as close as the city of Grand Rapids itself, and taught all of us to laugh, think and embrace art in all shapes and sizes.   Instead of the winners of this event being chosen by those trained in art, it was those that appreciate art that were able to vote and determine who won the first place prize of $250,000.  Embracing social media, the organizers of this walk around town event used the power of texting to allow viewers to give a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to vote for each exhibit.  The top 10 “thumbs up” recipients were in the running
for the top money prizes. 

ArtPrize itself was a great way to see various art forms as well as to experience venues in Grand Rapids that I had never stepped foot in, until this event.  Many kudos go to the organizers as well as the coffee shops and restaurants who often ran out of food feeding the happy crowds that poured into their establishments. 

So where am I going with this flowing review of this event and how can it help you build your business?

On the day I attended Art Prize, my goal was to experience the chosen top 10.  I accomplished that…in 3 hours.  I was more than thrilled to meet a few of the artists themselves as they were answering questions and milling with those that were curious of or admirers of their work.

 
Is it a coincidence that the three artists whom I met also happened to be the top prize earners for the event?  I don’t think so.   The Open Water no.24 by Ran Ortner , “Imagine That” by Tracy Van Duinen, and  Portraits by Eric Daigh were all spectacular in their own way.   Hearing about the inspiration behind the art as well as how it was created, the time it took to create, and the challenges along the way from the mouth of the artist gave the art life!

This is my point - Your product is just a product until you breathe life into it with YOUR story.  Would I have voted for any of these artists, and their work had I not met them?  No.  It
was the handshake, the smiles, the STORY, that helped me to see beyond the art to the life within. 
 
Your story can give life to the product you offer and hope, laughter, inspiration and fun to your “audience”, your customers and life to your business.

Be available, be transparent, and share your passion, inspiration, challenges and story to create the business of your dreams.  How does $250,000 sound to you?