Key to Help Lower Your Daily Stress

The school year is winding down.  The kids are already complaining that there is nothing to do.  Work is crazy.  You are juggling more balls than you ever did.  STRESS!

Did you know that “Stress is your resistance to what’s happening”?  That’s right, you are refusing to accept the what is happening.  Instead, you worry and think what shoulda, coulda or woulda happen.  Some would say that stress is just a mindset which can be changed.

The truth is you can conquer daily stress by simply living in the present – just BE here now.  Let go of what you think your life is supposed to look, and simply appreciate it for everything that it is.  I know, easier said then done, right?

Here are some tips on how to reduce your stress from the book “1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently”:

• Trust your intuition. You don’t need to explain or justify your feelings to everyone, just trust your own inner guidance, it often knows best.
• Firmly decide what matters and what doesn’t.  Stress comes from the way you react, not the way life is.  Inner peace begins the moment you choose to be mindful by not allowing another person or event to dominate your emotions.
• Take a deep breath when you need one. You don’t have to solve every problem in your life before you can enjoy being at peace.
• Keep sanity in your schedule. Say “no” sometimes to good things so you can say “yes” to important things. We can’t do it all so choose wisely.
• Practice gratitude. Here is that Law of Attraction thing again.  Look for reasons to be grateful, and see them everywhere. Remind yourself how fortunate you are at this moment. The more you appreciate it, the better it’ll be.
• Detach yourself from the habit of taking things personally.  This has been the hardest thing for me to learn.  Did you know that if you take everything personally, you’ll remain offended for the rest of your life? The truth is that what other people do is often because of them, not you.  As I was once told, “it isn’t all about you”!
• Focus on the positive. Positive thinking isn’t about expecting the best to happen every time – it’s about accepting what happens every time, and making the best of it. In other words, a sincerely positive attitude is an expression of the way you choose for things to be.
• Practice patience as you work for your desires.  In a world filled with instant gratification, we must learn the value of patience and perseverance.
• Spend time with supportive, loving people. Being happy is directly related to the quality of people who you surround yourself with every single day. Yup, the Law of Attraction again.

Whatever is happening in your life right now… The key it NOT to beat yourself up! No matter what!

Are you struggling with life and has stress got the best of you?  That’s okay.  Be patient with yourself. It years to form these habits, routines and life situations that are creating stress in your life.  There is NO magic wand that will wipe it all away.  It will take some time to make changes.

But I promise you: Even the smallest step in the right direction today will bring you some peace. Take that step. And then take another one tomorrow.

In what way do you need to lower your daily stress? What is creating needless stress in your life? Share your thoughts with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Are You Keeping Yourself from Happiness

Pictures like this make me smile thinking of warm weather and being outside.  The dreadful cold this winter has some of us considering a move to warmer climates while others are experiencing seasonal depression.  The truth is that some of our habits actually cause us to miss out on happiness.

Think about the great habits that we grew up with and ideals that are probably the foundation of our value system.  When you finish with these “great habits”, how do you feel?  Are you drained? In a funk?  Out of sorts? Exhausted?  Why is that when these are the things that have been instilled in many of us since we were children?

After reading an article by tinybudha.com, I started wondering about those “great habits”… see what you think

1. The habit of working hard at the exclusion of all else.

I have been and some would say that I still am a workaholic. The truth is, I feel like many years were less than rewarding, financially and emotionally, because I neglected the more essential aspects of building a career, such as creating relationships and building trust.  I really didn’t think much about building relationships until I started my direct sales career.  I mean weren’t most of us raised to be hard workers with a sense of pride. It’s what expected, right?

What to do instead: Pause long enough to examine the big picture and the situation at hand, and question your current approach. Is more work going really to give you the results you need?

2. The habit of taking care of everyone and everything else first.

Have you taken care of everyone else over the years with little thought of your own needs?  Have you become bitter?  I don’t mean nasty bitter just with the thought that you are not appreciated for what you do.  Do you fall into the martyr syndrome or poor me?  Did you ever think that you could be self-nurturing and care for everyone else too.  Maybe you are sacrificing your own well-being because you don’t want to seem “selfish.” EEKK!!!

What to do instead: Know that sacrifice does not earn the respect or gratitude of others. Being a good role model does. Take care of yourself so you’re strong and healthy for the important people in your life. It’s not selfish. It’s self-nurturing, it’s necessary, and you’re allowed.

3. The habit of responding to every call to attention—email, phone, text—right away.

Okay, so maybe I am obsessed.  My phone is set to get a variety of alerts from emails, to text to phone and even Facebook.  The truth is that it is a constant distraction that can ruin your focus, disrupt your routine, and cause problems when running a business.  I mean is there really a purse emergency?

What to do instead: Be more stingy with your time and set aside dedicated slots to respond to texts, emails, and phone calls. Unless it’s an emergency, it can wait. Because this one’s deeply ingrained, train yourself little by little to master this one.

4. The habit of doing everything for your kids, family, and more.

No hate mail please…  I am one of those that thinks they can handle everything.  When my daughter was younger, I took care of everything.  Yes, she was spoiled but I always wonder if I hindered her emotional growth.  As a wife, I tend to “take care of everything”.  Do you do everything for others instead of showing them how to do it? Sometimes people need help, but if you condition them to having you do it all the time, they never become self-sufficient. You do them and yourself a disservice.

What to do instead: Before doing the next task for the person you’re helping, ask them if they’d like to learn how to do it. Start teaching and showing more and doing less.

5. The habit of pleasing others at the expense of your own dreams and desires.

For this people pleaser, I always worry about pleasing others from my parents, to my hubby to my daughter.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret any decision that I have made but now it is time for my to live my dreams and desires.  How many of us are conditioned to say “yes” to please our family and loved ones. This can be detrimental to your own happiness if you happen to want something else.

What to do instead: Be true to yourself. You can still be kind and gentle toward others, but you get one life, and your dreams and desires are your business and they deserve your best shot.

These are only a few of the great habits that had me pause and think.  What about you, have you found other good habits that get in the way of YOUR happy living?  Share them with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Habits of a Remarkable Recruiter

A training call on Sunday got me to thinking about whether or not I was a remarkable recruiter, an average recruiter or not recruiting at all.  I have shared that I have struggled with recruiting lately – missing cues of those who may be interested, not asking everyone if they would be interested in the opportunity – thinking that sharing my why would help everyone connect with how Thirty One can be a blessing in their lives, like it was in mine.

Here are FIVE habits that make a REMARKABLE recruiter – rate yourself on  a score of 1 – 10 with 10 being ALWAYS to see how you do.  Don’t score yourself on where you WANT to be or be to hard on yourself.  Be honest, this will help you to achieve your business recruiting goals.

1. Remarkable recruiters work consistently smarter and not harder.  They consistently have parties booked on a monthly basis.  They are sharing their products with EVERYONE that they run into whether they know they or not.  
2. Remarkable recruiters ALWAYS smile.  No matter how bad the party or the day, they always have a smile on their face and a positive thought to share.  Did you know smiling is a reflection of what is inside of you?  Share the joy you feel about your business with everyone simply by smiling.  I remember a comment a friend made “your face lights up when you talk about Thirty One“.  I am learning to wear that joy all of the time so people are curious why and I can share the blessing that was given to me.
3. Remarkable recruiters are active not passive.  They take the lead when someone shows interest in the business.  They get on the PHONE (I know the dreaded 500-pound one) and don’t rely on flyers and emails to recruit new consultants.  
4. Remarkable recruiters thing about what is in it for someone else!  Yes, more recruits mean more money for us.  The key is to focus on how your business will help someone else – more money to reduce debt, vacations, kid’s activities  etc.  CONNECT with people.  Our business is all about relationship building – go out and BUILD one today.
5. Remarkable recruiters stay in control of the recruiting process. If a potential recruit says they want to think about it – do you wait for them to call you?  The fortune is in the follow-up.  How about asking them what the TWO things are that keep them from jumping in?  LISTEN to their answer and see if you can overcome those doubts.

Okay, so how did you do?  What were your weaknesses – where you scored yourself below a 5. Now focus on developing those skills.  Habits can be learned so if you are trying to GROW your business – find some training calls and then practice these habits.  Honestly, I have some weaknesses but I am working hard to overcome them by listening to 31 minute calls, talking with those who are successful in this area and seeking out ways to overcome my fears.  

Love to hear from REMARKABLE recruiters with their tips for success.  Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Habits – Good or Bad?

Habits, personal or business, can be positive or negative.  They can be things that we want to quit like smoking or eating too much.  In business, especially in direct sales, if we don’t have good habits – follow-up, goals, etc. we can have a business that is more like a hobby.  Psychologists say that it takes 21-days of a repeated action to create a habit. I can agree with that on two counts – blogging has now become a habit after over 2 months of daily posts and counting points for everything that I eat (via Weight Watchers after YEARS).

As the new year begins (with my direct selling company), I am looking to create new habits that will help me build a successful business.  I found some tips on Direct Selling News that I wanted to share:

• Set goals – I have been working on this ALOT lately – short, moderate and long term goals.  Short term are within the next month, moderate or medium goals are within the next 6 months and long term in the next year or so.  I have set them but if I don’t put steps in place to take action – are they goals or wishes?
• Define success.  Most in direct sales call this their “WHY” but was is the emotional aspect of your why?  How will you feel when you reach that goal?  This is a hard one for me and I struggle with a definition of success.  Guess I never really BELIEVE that I will be successful so it is hard for me to imagine what it will feel like when it happens.
• Prioritize.  Another tough one for me.  I always have a list of things that I want to do on my planner and I mark them as complete which should give me satisfaction, right?  The truth is are they busy work or are they work that will grow my business?  EEK!  
• Organize.  I always thought that I was organized but since I have gone to full-time with my direct sales company – I am beginning to have my doubts.  I know where everything is and can quickly put my hands on it if someone were to call BUT my messy desk creates a sense (in my head) that I am not being productive.  I hope that makes sense!  LOL.
• Personalize.  This is one thing I LOVE to do as long as it doesn’t involve picking up the phone.  I love building relationships with my customers and hostesses, customizing things to fit their needs and helping them find the best solution to their organizational dilemma.
• Identify the bad habits.  Okay, we all have them.  Mine would be procrastinating when it is time to call customers for follow-up or potential party hosts.  FACEBOOK!  I am learning, slowly, that this is a time waster for me.  I don’t want you to think that I am a hot mess – orders, parties all take priority with me but the truth is lead follow-up for me is a struggle.  I need a system that works for me.  I have tried several but can’t seem to find one that sticks.  I would LOVE your input on what systems work for you in following up?
• Change one thing at a time.  Okay, so I am usually an all or nothing kind of girl.  Change EVERYTHING and then nothing becomes a habit.  So I need to focus – tracking with Weight Watchers is a habit that has just become a part of my life, now for business – follow-up on leads need to be the same kind of habit.  I am telling EVERYONE this is where I need accountability – follow-up with leads is my NEW change.

What bad habits do you need to break and replace with good habits?  What habit do you have that contributes to your success in business – PLEASE SHARE!  

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day.