What Is Your Vision?

I am taking this week as a week of reflection, a time to clear my head and get ready for the New Year.  I feel more focused in my business then I have in about 2 years – is it the new medicine, the physical therapy or is the remitting MS finally remitting?  Whatever the reason, I am excited to think about and plan for the upcoming year.

When I started my journey in direct sales, I had a dream…  What about you, what is your vision or dream when it comes to your business?

I wanted to quit my job and work from home.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job but the commute and the desire to make my own hours again was calling me.  Maybe you want to pay off debt. Maybe you want some ME time. Maybe you want to travel. Maybe you want to be able to give back to the community. Think for just a moment, what was the FIRST reason you joined your direct sales company or you maybe are now considering joining one.

Yes, I wanted to have my own business but I never really thought it would be in direct sales; I actually thought it would be a storefront.  When I starting with Thirty One, it was for the discounts.  With the discounts, I could provide gifts to women and children in need.  I wanted to fundraise to help others. Although sometimes I squirrel off my true course, I do always come back to it.

My “why” is and always has been “to make a difference in the lives of others“.

Our “why” is what motivates us towards our vision. It is the emotional connection you have every day with why you are doing what you are doing. For some this takes time to find – I am a true testament to it taking a long time.  For others, it is easy.

Sometimes our vision will hit us at the strangest moment and it is like a SMACK on the head from God. As I reflect on the last year, a smile comes to my face when I think about the opportunities I have had with the help of my customers to make a difference.

• Dialysis Bags
• Chemo Comfort Bags
• HERO bags for our troops
• Pamper Kits for new moms
• Random Acts of Kindness with my Give Back With Me Program
• Fundraisers

My BIG dream is to create a non-profit focusing on bringing smiles to the faces of women and children in need.

The truth is “kids are my heart” and anyone who knows me, knows I have been saying it since I first started with the South Jersey AIDS Alliance all those years ago.

I want to be able to use my Thirty One business to CELEBRATE – ENCOURAGE – REWARD kids and their moms who are struggling. Why kids? They didn’t ask to be brought into this world and in most cases have no control over the cards they are dealt. God has a plan for each of them; even those who are struggling. I want to be the light which shines in their life. I want to show them there are people who care. I want to make a difference.

The vision is cast, the goal has been set, now to put a plan together to reach the dream. If it is God’s will, it will happen – in his time, not mine.  I have been casting the vision for two years now, baby steps.

What is your bigger than seems possible (scare the crap out of you) DREAM or VISION? Share it with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Fundraising Can Be Fun

I hear the moans across the country…. Really?  You think fundraising is fun?  No, I’m not crazy.  I actually do LOVE fundraising and it can be fun for everyone.  For some it is the end of the fundraising season while for others summer fundraising has just started.  What are some of the ways YOU can fundraise for a cause, a team, or even a family struggling?  Is there someone or a group you have always wanted to help but never thought you could?  I’m going to be talking about some fundraising options available through me with Thirty One BUT if you are in direct sales or organizing a fundraiser, you may be able to use these tips.

#1 – Power Product Fundraiser.  

These are the kind most people are used to seeing – like the Girl Scout cookie order sheets. The traditional school sales were a small group of products are sold.  I’m sure I am not alone when those dreaded “forms” came home for candy, wrapping paper, or candles to raise money.  What if you were to pick 5 – 10 of your groups favorite Thirty One products and share them with friends and family?  This is easy because it limits the product line choices and it is all on one page.  The products offered on the front and the order sheet on the back. This type of fundraiser is very effective and popular because of the simplicity of it.  Great for team sports.

#2 – Party with a Purpose

How about a party where everyone brings an item to donate to a charity.  Attendees earn raffle tickets for donating toward a prize you offer PLUS a percentage of the sales from the party is donated to the same charity.  Here are some examples: shoes to donate to Soles4Souls, personal care items for the local domestic violence shelter, or hats and gloves for the homeless shelter.  Guests LOVE this kind of fundraiser and then they stay for the fundraiser party too.  This helps in two ways – a physical need donation and a financial donation to the charity of choice. This is one of my FAVORITE fundraisers and it gets amazing guest attendance too! People LOVE to help.

#3 – Charity of the Month Fundraiser

This is where you choose a charity you are very passionate about and you fundraise for them on your own. For example, if you are passionate about animal welfare, you can host a fundraiser for your local humane society (catalog, party or gift-in-kind) and donate a percentage of your profits to the organization. The great thing about a charity-of-the-month fundraiser is you get to highlight a charity near and dear to you every month.

#4 – Personal Fundraisers 

These fundraisers touch my heart.  They are for individuals who are not 501c3 non-profit organizations like a student raising money for a mission trip, a couple raising money for an adoption, individuals raising money for a surgery or medical bills of a friend. If it is friends helping friends, the cause may be public BUT there are those times when a hostess will want to keep the cause private so it is time to get creative in helping to spread the word.  Fundraising is a great benefit to these individuals to help them reach their financial goals.

#5 – Gift in Kind

I do fundraisers like these 6 times a year – dialysis bags, Fight Hunger, Vets, and seniors.  We offer a product and customers purchase the product to DONATE to a group or organization on their behalf. For example, the Chemo Comfort bags are delivered to a local cancer care center:

The best part about a gift-in-kind fundraiser is it helps in two ways by donating a product to someone in need and raises funds for the organization of choice.

#6 – Let’s PARTY!

Your hostess holds a fundraiser party for the charity or organization of her choice and she invites people to attend. You donate a portion of your commission to the person or group hosting the party. You treat this fundraiser the same way you treat a normal home party where you do a full product presentation, nothing changes except you are donating a percentage of your commissions to the charity. This party can be a Facebook Party event or a live in-home party event, or both!

#7 – A Catalog Fundraiser

This is a full Thirty One catalog party.  Get a  group of say 10 cheerleaders. Each one of them gets their own “hostess packet” and they go out selling as a catalog party!  This is a great way for them to earn funds for their personal account OR as a team.  You can donate a portion of your commission and offer the hostess credits to buy additional products they can use as raffle items, etc. OR you can donate your commission and keep the hostess benefits.

Who is ready to fundraise?  Want more details on doing a Thirty One fundraiser?  Contact me below:

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Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Are You a Happy Person?

It’s Friday…for some it is another long weekend because Monday is Martin Luther King Day.  For me it is the first Friday I am off – the first weekend of no part time job. There are a lot of mixed feelings but I have faith it was the right decision at the right time.

So, let me ask you – were you born a happy person?  I mean the person who always has a smile on their face, and never seems to let things bother them?  Did you know half of your happiness is genetic, attributable to your personality and temperament while about 10% is due to circumstances. The rest is about YOUR intentional choices.  The ones you make every day. You all know I LOVE Valerie Burton, right?  She shared in one of her books about the habits happy people have in common.  The best part is, if you practice these habits, chances are you will see a boost in how you feel every day.

Here are five things happy people do daily:

1. Spend time with people they enjoy.

Did you know you are as happy as your relationships?  We need people to be happy because we were made for connection and love – and it happens through relationships. When you serve people, connect authentically and allow others to impact you, your life is richer and more meaningful. Let’s practice being  intentional by having a conversation, look the friend or co-worker in the eye and really listen. Are your relationships filled with turmoil? Make a plan to calm the drama. The stress is a threat to your health and your happiness.

2. Focus on what’s right in front of them.

Are you a multi-tasker?  Are you always on your cell phone – Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or texting?  Chances are you are NOT living in the present moment. Happy people don’t dwell on the past or get overly focused on the future. They value the power of the present, which means they have fun. When working on a task, they get into the “flow,” and time seems to fly by because they are engaged in what they are doing. It is no wonder people who love their jobs are twice as likely to be happy than those who don’t, according to a Gallup poll. Are you doing what you love or do you love your job?

3. Do something to help someone other than themselves.

Doing a random act of kindness isn’t just a trendy suggestion, it is a way to be happier. Serving others is a happiness trigger. Whether you believe it or not, it is the core of what we are all here to do – love. When we focus on helping others, it redirects our focus from our own problems or challenges, and helps put our lives into perspective.  Check out our Give Back with Me page.

4. Express gratitude.

Gratitude is powerful. It keeps you from taking things for granted. Let’s be honest, we all take something for granted even if we don’t mean to.  Gratitude strengthens relationships. It feels good. So say thank you and mean it. Why not add to your “thank you” why the other person’s gesture was meaningful to you. When you count your blessings, write them down or share them with a loved one. And reflect on why you are grateful. It expands the positive emotion you feel when you are grateful.  I have started a gratitude journal.  Every night before bed, I write one specific thing I am grateful for so I go to bed with happy positive thoughts.  It has made a difference on how I feel when I wake up in the morning.

5. Redirect their happiness-sabotaging thoughts.

How often do you beat yourself up for something you did – not sticking to the diet, forgetting to do something or maybe you broke something?  Negative thoughts bring more negative things.  The reality is happy people don’t dwell long on unhappy things.  Yes, they do acknowledge their negative feelings but they are also less likely to dwell on them, wallow in self-pity or blame others for their misery. They slam the door on Negative Nellie and Doubtful Debbie. Instead, they ask, “What’s within my control to change?” They change what they can and do their best to work around the things they can’t change.

Do you do these things every day?  Why not pick one of the habits you don’t do every day, and try it every day for a week.  It takes 21 days to form a habit so if you can do it for a week, them keep going.  I know you can do it….

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!