Consistency is the Key to Success

The most often question I hear from members of my team revolves around maintaining and growing their business.  What do you do when you have exhausted your family and friends?  Where do you turn, how do keep your business?

Your business is fun and flexible but the work is NOT optional.  A reminder I keep on my wall from Carrie Wilkerson.  The key for me has been consistency.  Did it happen over night? NO!  But after consistently working my business intentionally a little bit every day, I see the results.  Let’s be honest, I wouldn’t still be doing direct sales for the last 7 years with the same company if I wasn’t making money, right?  Gotta pay the bills!

Here are 5 things you can do to be more consistent in your business and help you to  reach your goals.

1. Break your goals down into activities.

I can’t always see the BIG picture but I can focus on the baby steps.  I know, crazy, right?  Your daily activities are like gasoline for your car which gets you to your destination.  If you have a goal to reach $1000 in income every month, you need to figure out how many new contacts it will take each month, how many parties you need to hold, how many team members you need to recruit and what your team sales need to be. Then you can break it down to the activities you need to do on a regular basis to find those new customers, book those parties, recruit those team members and then help them build their business.  I know it sounds overwhelming BUT it is possible!  WRITE down your goal.  Now make a list of all of the things you could do (if FEAR was not a factor) to make it happen.  Those activities could include marketing, lead generation, events, follow ups, opportunity Facebook Live, or 1 on 1 team coaching.  You will be surprised what happens if you step out of your comfort zone just a little bit to complete some of these activities.

2. Focus on creating new habits.

I am all about lists.  I like to see things highlighted in my planner which means they are done or crossed off my list.  I even have a daily habits schedule because on those “rough days”, I could forget even the things I have done every day for months.  So let’s get busy.  It’s actually much easier to create new habits than to break old ones.  When we re-train our brain, it will become easier to complete the new tasks, routines and goals we have. What would an ideal day look like in your life and in your business?  What are you waiting for?   Begin working NOW to follow the new routine each day. Choose 1 area to focus on changing to allow your brain to adjust to the new way of thinking and being.  Remember the tortoise and the hare?  Slow and steady wins the race.

3. Evaluate your activities each day, week and month.

Do you review your activities?  Do you actually write down your successes, challenges and big ideas for the month?  The only real way to make sure you are making progress and staying on course is by evaluating what you do on a regular basis.  Create a daily or weekly task list.  Create theme days you use to keep yourself on track – Motivation Monday, Team Tuesday, etc. Then look at it at least once a week to see what is going well, what isn’t going so well and where you need to improve or adjust.  I review my week on either Saturday morning or Sunday evenings as I prep for the upcoming week.  A weekly check allows me to tweak my focus so I can reach my goals faster.

4. Seek Accountability.

I don’t know about you but I need to be accountable to someone.  Change can be tough but when I add in an accountability measure, it gives me an incentive, and encouragement to do the work.   Some share their goals with their family to get them on board. Some find a buddy in or out of their direct sales company to connect with on a regular basis. What works best for you?  Create a vision board to help you keep focused.  This can be done with magazine cut-outs or hand drawn.  I am part of an incredible Facebook Group called League of Audacious Women run by the AMAZING Desiree Wolfe which helps me stay accountable on a daily basis. Join a monthly group coaching or training program which provides support and accountability. Be willing to hold yourself responsible and learn from others who are further along the path than you are.

5. Celebrate your progress.

Do you wait to celebrate until you reach the final goal OR do you celebrate your accomplishments along the way?  The success is in the journey and not always the destination.  Your goal is a target for you to focus on to keep you moving forward BUT life happens. We get derailed or make mistakes.  Sometimes it takes us longer to reach our goal than we hoped for or maybe we never reach it BUT we need to continue to celebrate our progress.  Practice self-love and be our own biggest cheerleaders. Focus on progress not perfection.

Who is ready to get consistent?  What small step will you make to change the direction of your business and your life?

Have a ThirtyOne-deful day!

Traveling with Kids

Summer will be quickly upon us and for many that means VACATION!!!!  Whether it is a day trip or a road trip. Whether it is a 1 hour ride or a 12 hour ride; keeping the kids busy and happy can always a challenge.  Belinda always used to fall asleep on long rides so we didn’t hear a lot of the “are we there yet?”.  She was just like me – I was (and still am) asleep about an hour into riding as a passenger on a long trip. Belinda loved staying at hotels as long as they had a pool and room service but what kid doesn’t, right?

Traveling can be tough on kids, which makes it tough on parents.  So here are some tips to help while on the road or when you arrive at the hotel.

Snacks. Picking on snacks and road trips seem to go hand and hand in our family.  I can remember snack bags being packed even as a child when we were on the road.  Bring the ones your tot likes at home it will save some money, and have some healthy options, and eliminate LOTS of food stops.  Let each child have their own bag filled with snacks

Activities:  Whether you are on the road or in the hotel, you want to have some of your children’s favorite toys or movies (within reason). Give your kids something familiar to play with by letting them choose a favorite toy to bring along.  Let them pack their own activity bag:

I love this suggestion from one of my readers….

Now, you arrive at the hotel – for some kids (not mine) it can be hard to get comfortable. But there are lots of ways to bring a bit of home with you – without bringing your whole house along – that will help your kid feel more at ease and get a better night’s sleep.

Bedding:  Wouldn’t you sleep better with your own pillow or a blanket? For kids who crave consistency and routine, these homey touches can make a bland hotel room much more appealing.

Bedtime routine is usually tossed out the window when we travel, right?  But taking the time to read a book, or sing a song, or whatever your child loves to do before drifting off to sleep will help.

Bring their favorite sleep item. Belinda has puppy.  Puppy went on every trip from the tip she was 2. In fact, puppy traveled to college and if I were to ask her now that she is married where puppy is, I am sure he has a special spot in her home.  Make sure you bring that something special that comforts them at night.

What do you bring with you to help your kids feel at home on the road? Share in the comments.