You be You

 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves …” Philippians 2:3 (NIV)

I have a confession!  Over the last 10 days, I was a Facebook addict.  Yes, I proudly stalked Facebook at every possible moment.  Why?  My Thirty One sisters were at National Conference and I was at home.  It was not an easy decision but one that I was at peace with.  My Sponsor even said “you have a peacefulness in you that I have never heard before”. It was a nice surprise.  Yes, Eryka, I did say “Thank you, it is true“.

So, where is this all leading?  In direct sales, there are thousands of sister consultants.  Some in the same neighborhood and maybe even on the same block.  I used to feel threatened by this.  I wanted to be the best. I wanted everyone to give me “words of affirmation”.  When others succeeded where I didn’t, I used to feel envy, jealousy and downright lousy.  This would be followed by a period of anger and frustration.  The end result, my business and my personal life suffered.

I have been blessed over the last several months to have gone through a transformation – okay, I am still a work in progress but HUGE changes have occurred.  Here are some things that I did:

1. Becky Spieth kicked it off by touching my heart at our Leadership Conference.  Check out her videos, she is AMAZING!
2. I read The Secret, TWICE.  This changed my perspective on life totally.  I now speak the positive into the Universe, leaving Negative Nelly at the curb.
3. I learned how to CELEBRATE me – my accomplishments, my faults, my inner gremlins.  The whole mess.  Thank you Eryka.
4. My morning devotions include the NIV Leadership Bible.  Okay, I will admit that there are actually parts of the Bible that I never read before.  I will admit that I don’t always get the point they are trying to make.  That is all okay.  The fact that I keep going is what is making a difference.

 

What did I learn?  Everyone’s journey is different.  I need to be ME!  I have been called and given an assignment by God.  Okay, so I may not know what it is but I know he has a plan for me.  I am not going to let comparison, jealousy or envy take me off his path.  God has given us gifts but not to make ourselves better than the girl next to us.  The gifts are ours to share with the world.  The road maybe rocky but I know that when I give my insecurities to God – truly turn them over – I can confidently be myself while watching someone else live out theirs (and maybe even my) dream. It is an ongoing struggle but we need to put our insecurities aside so we can embrace the place where we have confidence and assurance.

So stalking Facebook allowed me to CELEBRATE the accomplishments of others and I am blessed by it. I am ME! You are YOU!  We may have the same business but our paths are different.  God has a unique plan for each of us.

Are you willing to forgo the envy and the jealousy to live the life that God has planned for you?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

Claiming the Blessing

Was your June a bust?  Did you have an AWESOME May and then sales slumped in June?  The”J” months can be tough if you are not prepared and we are rolling right into another one, right? What do you want to be different?  Are you wishing and wanting for success or are you making it happen?  Are you casting the “I wish” vision or are you claiming the blessing?  Believe me the difference in our words can make a difference in what the Universe gives us.

Why am I so sure that this positive claim works?  I have seen countless people cast the vision and claim the blessing.  I have seen team members reach for a goal, claim it and then achieve it.  I was one of them the year that I promoted to Director with Thirty One.  I have shared the struggles, the tears and the successes of the last two years.  In the last few months I have learned so much.  Why?  Because I BELIEVE that my dreams are obtainable.  Better yet, I have CLAIMED them.  How did this amazing transformation occur?  No, there is no magic wand.  It took being coachable.  I was open to change and willing to learn.

So many people helped in the transformation to Hope 1.5 on the way to Hope 2.0.   The women of the Entrepreneurial Think Tank for Women who started the transformation of this “shabby chic” momma into a “real” business owner.  The Beacon of Hope Leadership Retreat with Hope Shortt and Becky Spieth broke down the final barriers.  Then I was ready to accept the coaching from: Britt Bolnick, In Arm’s Coacching, Desiree Wolfe with her Rebel Mamapreneur Think Tank, and Eryka Peskin, Abudance Coach and Fierce Cheerleader.

Remember that you deserve to be happy, truly happy with a joy that comes from within.  Believe in yourself just as others believe in you.  See yourself through their eyes.  You are AWESOME. Feel it.  Believe it.  And know that you deserve it.  Here is a great way to do that: practice visualizing where you want to be every day, then take the steps to make it a reality.  I wrote a letter to Hope 2.0 telling her how proud I was of all that she had accomplished in her business:

Dear Hope 2.0:

I am so proud of all that you have accomplished in the last 5 years:

• Your office  is organized.  I am glad that you finally have a part-time assistant to help with the busy work.  The family room looks AMAZING and I know that your team loves hanging out with you and learning all of your great business tips.
• Where did you say your last cruise went to?  WOW!  I know hubby loves the fact that you can take a vacation every year and you treat.  What a great way to say thank you to him for taking care of you every day.  Of course, those mini getaways are nice too.  You can never have enough of them.
• You got to walk the stage as a Senior Director.  The best part was that hubby was there to greet you along with Belinda.  I know you cried because he never wanted to enter into the pink bubble but he was so proud of you.  He finally sees your business as a business
• Your calendar is full with home parties & events.  Your hostesses are scheduling their next party when they close their current one because your calendar gets so full
• Your Annual Hostess Appreciation party has become the talk of the town.  In 5 years, it is the must attend end of the year event
• The many charities that you have helped with your seasonal events for kids and families are a blessing.  Don’t forget the multiple fundraisers you hold every month.  Not only are you helping organizations find discretionary money but you are also helping people who are struggling. You never forget where you came from – a homeless, addict who just wanted to please everyone.  By remembering, you are able to encourage others
• You have inspired so many on your team to reach for their dreams, to overcome their inner gremlins and as a result their lives are changed forever
• Your willingness to share your office systems, your party ideas, your presentations and even allow consultants to tag along with you even if they are not on your team is a great example of a leader.

I want you to remember that success is always within your reach.  There will be struggles but that simply means that there are lessons to be learned.  Your  journey is yours alone but others can learn from it.  Comparison is not in the plan.

I am on the road to being Hope 2.0.  I am not waiting for “when” or “if”, I am claiming the blessings NOW.  I have seen things change in my business since I did this exercise – thank you Eryka. Give it a chance, what have you got to loose.  You deserve to have all of the blessings waiting for you.  I can’t wait to celebrate your successes.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day.

Unlocking the Mystery

How many of you have heard about the DISC personality test?  How many of you have ever taken it?  I took it once but the results didn’t make sense to me.  I seemed to have a little bit of all of them in me depending on the situation – home, work, business, family, or friends.

I am grateful that Becky Spieth during our Leadership Retreat walked us through this process.  It was such an eye opener for me.  I totally got why I wasn’t connecting with some of my team.  I now understand my test results and am grateful to now know how to work with my team (and my family) by figuring out their behavior style.

For those that aren’t familiar with DiSC. It is a personal assessment tool used to improve work productivity, teamwork and communication. DiSC is non-judgmental and helps people discuss their behavioral differences.  

It definitely helped me.  I can even see how it can help in my marriage since I am an “S” and it is pretty safe to say that hubby is a “C”.

A quick overview is:

• D is usually the leader and go getter.  The person to get it done.  Their traits are dominant, direct, decisive and demanding
• I is the talker, the cheerleader and the socializer. Their traits are usually influencing, inspiring and they are generally interested in people.
• S is the steady, stable, secure and sympathetic person.  They are the steady Eddy, the Peacemaker & family focused.
• C is the thinker and fact finder that loves graphs with data to get it right.  They are usually conscientious, compliant and correct.

Well, I am an “S” along with 69% of the rest of the world.  Here are some more traits of an “S”:

• Supportive
• Sentimental
• Bridge Builder
• Peacemaker
• Great Listener
• Family Focused
• Thinker
• Feelings
• Loyal

I found out that I have a strong “D” on my team.  As a result of this test, I was able to talk with her about how I felt and realized that I had misinterpreted many situations.  Now when the emotions kick up, I remind myself of this test.  A HUGE help when dealing with the Negative Nellie in me.  When I look at the rest of my team, I THINK I have attracted many of the same type of people.  I am blessed to have each and every one of them.  According the studies on “S” personalities, they develop into amazing leaders who will be consistent, and dependable.

I challenge you to take the test and see what is your behavior.  Let us know if you think it fits you and the things that you do everyday.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!