Failure is Your Path to Success

This is a re-blog of a past blog…. by the time you read this, I will be on the road to North Carolina.  Hubby and I are going to grab breakfast at Taylor Sam’s and then be on our way.  Our goal is to be in Sylva by 10PM……Hmm???

Today is going to be Tip Tuesday courtesy of Shari Hudspeth.  One of my all time favorite trainers.  Not only did I get to hear her at Thirty One’s National Conference but I also had the opportunity to meet her at a Leadership Retreat held by my Director, Hope Shortt.

I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

What makes a person successful?  Think about it, the people who are looked up to as being successful in their field have a common thread…They have all made mistakes – many of them and often failed in their efforts to succeed.  So, what makes us any different?

Why do we look at people who are tops in their field and only see the end result – fame, fortune, success?  Have you ever said “I don’t want to set any goals because I’m afraid I won’t reach them.”?  Maybe you didn’t say it outloud but I can almost bet at some point in your business career you thought it.  For some, it is easy to toss the thought aside and move forward.  For others, the task of changing the mindset is a little bit more difficult.

Fear of failure is normal. You are not alone if you are afraid to set goals, to step out and take the action that will make your dreams a reality.  The big question we have to ask ourselves is, “Do I want it badly enough to do whatever it takes to get it?”

WOW!  That last question hits home for me because there are some days I don’t think I want it badly enough.  I make excuses why I can’t pick up the phone, book parties, or recruit new consultants.  Then there are days when I jump right in and don’t let anything stand in my way.  What’s the difference, right?  I actually keep remembering what Shari says: “Failure is your path to success.”

So what, you messed up a call – I do it all of the time.  The best laid plans go array, so what.  You ask some one to book a party, they say no – so what.  You stepped outside of your comfort zone.  Haven’t we always been told “practice makes perfect”.  Okay, so I am not shooting for perfection but I am practicing stepping out of my comfort zone.  With each mistake, I get better and better.  Things get a little easier – approaching potential customers or recruits, picking up the phone, or asking people to book a party.

I tried to have my own business before and each time I learned a lesson.  First was the premature baby clothes and learning about retail sales.  Next was being a consultant to non-profit agencies and learning how to share what I do to help them and their clients.  Now with Thirty One, I am learning every day.  I love being challenged despite the fact that Doubtful Debbie likes to stop by for a visit.

So, are you ready to step out of your comfort zone to take the action you need to so you will go in the direction of your dreams?  Take the first small step – STRETCH!  If you fail, so what.  Get up.  Dust your self off and start again.

Remember the people who you admire as a success all failed during their life so why should you be any different.

Don’t let another day go by without moving in the direction of your dreams. There is nobody more worthy of living their dreams than you are!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

A Path of Mistakes

Today is going to be Tip Tuesday courtesy of Shari Hudspeth.  One of my all time favorite trainers.  Not only did I get to hear her at Thirty One’s National Conference but I also had the opportunity to meet her at a Leadership Retreat held by my Director, Hope Shortt.

I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

What makes a person successful?  Think about it, the people who are looked up to as being successful in their field have a common thread…They have all made mistakes – many of them and often failed in their efforts to succeed.  So, what makes us any different?

Why do we look at people who are tops in their field and only see the end result – fame, fortune, success?  Have you ever said “I don’t want to set any goals because I’m afraid I won’t reach them.”?  Maybe you didn’t say it outloud but I can almost bet at some point in your business career you thought it.  For some, it is easy to toss the thought aside and move forward.  For others, the task of changing the mindset is a little bit more difficult.

Fear of failure is normal. You are not alone if you are afraid to set goals, to step out and take the action that will make your dreams a reality.  The big question we have to ask ourselves is, “Do I want it badly enough to do whatever it takes to get it?”

WOW!  That last question hits home for me because there are some days that I don’t think I want it badly enough.  I make excuses why I can’t pick up the phone, book parties, or recruit new consultants.  Then there are days when I jump right in and don’t let anything stand in my way.  What is the difference, right?  I actually keep remembering what Shari says: “Failure is your path to success.”

So what, you messed up a call – I do it all of the time.  The best laid plans go array, so what.  You ask some one to book a party, they say no – so what.  You stepped outside of your comfort zone.  Haven’t we always been told “practice makes perfect”.  Okay, so I am not shooting for perfection but I am practicing stepping out of my comfort zone.  With each mistake, I get better and better.  Things get a little easier – approaching potential customers or recruits, picking up the phone, or asking people to book a party.

I have tried many times to have my own business and each time I learned a lesson.  First was the premature baby clothes and learning about retail sales.  Next was being a consultant and learning how to share what I do to increase my business.  Now with Thirty One, I am learning every day.  I love being challenged despite the fact that Doubtful Debbie likes to stop by for a visit.

So, where are you ready to step out of your comfort zone to take the action that you need to so that you will go in the direction of your dreams?  Take that first small step – STRETCH!  If you fail, so what.  Get up.  Dust your self off and start again.

Remember the people who you admire as a success all failed during their life so why should you be any different.  Don’t let another day go by without moving in the direction of your dreams. There is nobody more worthy of living their dreams than you are!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

You are capable of excellence, so go for it!

Shari

via Your Sure Path to Success – Bi-Weekly Tip from Average to Excellence – hopespursecloset@gmail.com – Gmail.

Friends

As Belinda and her friends arrived last night, I witnessed “friendship” in action.  I know that sounds weird and some might think this is a pity party; it is more like a realization.  THINK about your best friend?  For some that might be someone you are close to now, or someone you have been friends with for years and for others, they may say their best friend is their hubby while there may be a few out there who have to admit that they don’t have a BFF.  You shared secrets (the good, the bad & the ugly), you spent hours together talking, you did or do everything together and when you need a shoulder to cry on, they are the first ones that you call.  I know for Belinda, her FIRST BFF is Jenn – friends since they met in pre-school at age 3 and still today they are there for each other in thick and thin despite 13 hours of travel time.

This is GUT honest – growing up I didn’t really have a BFF.  I had a lot of friends but NOT 1 person that I could share my deepest darkest secrets with and know they would be there to support me.  I used to think I wasn’t good enough, now I know that is not true.  The truth was, I was ashamed of my deepest secrets so I isolated from people because I didn’t want them to know the truth.  It started at about 12 years old and I guess continued until I had an epiphany last night!  When I was younger, I hid the secrets of my home life, I hid secrets of things that I was ashamed of and those that I thought God would never forgive.  I had mostly male friends because I found it easier to hang out with them then the girls my age.  As I grew up, my BFF was Elsie (my aunt), I shared those deep dark secrets and she was there for me.  Don’t get me wrong, my parents were too but Elsie was more like a friend then an aunt.  When Elsie passed away, my life revolved around Belinda, her friends, her activities and my work.  My BFF was Steph – funny enough Jenn’s mom.  BFF’s for a season – a long one.

Why am I telling you all of this, right?  Well, as I was reading Shari Hudspeth book “Party Plan Success”, my brain got to thinking about the word “friends”.  When Belinda went to college and I relocated to Brick, I found myself in an emotional place that I had not be in since about the age of 13 – the NEW kid.  Instead of using this as a time to grow and make new friends, I isolated, worked, commuted and spent time with family.  OUCH!  So, now I have a business that relies on parties… what do I do, right?  There was a lot of talk about building relationships at National Conference.  I continue to build them with my team, my hostesses, my customers and my Thirty One sisters….GREAT!

Now, I need to learn how to build them to form lasting friendships.. a skill that I don’t think I learned very well growing up.   I have a few people who I have gotten close to but I still feel like the new kid on the block.  Never really measuring up as a friend or feeling like I belong (Negative Nellie LOVES this party).  Never being one of the girls that just hangs out, to have fun.   Those old fears keep me busy at home or with other things so I don’t step out of my comfort zone.  I have finally realized that THIS is the last key to being totally successful in Thirty One business.  An AHA moment..

What is your core struggle that keeps you from succeeding at YOUR goal?  Share that struggle with us – NO JUDGEMENT.  Let’s help each other reach our personal and business goals by hitting the reset button and starting fresh.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Business Shape Up

Happy Monday!  I am excited… I know, why would I be excited on a Monday, right?  Well, my training for my NEW job has ended and I don’t have to be back to work till Friday.  So…. I get to set up some steps to ensure that my Thirty One business is on track for the summer.  AWESOME SAUCE (yes, that is my new word).

Despite my best efforts, I don’t seem to have a routine anymore.  I lost it – my WAWA gig was flexible but because the hours changed every week, it was tough for me to get my mojo on.  The new job has set hours – YEAH!  So, I now can set-up a schedule so I can develop a routine for my Thirty One business.

Shari Hudspeth talked about “Getting Your Business Back in Shape” in a recent blog.  I loved this:

Have you ever done something consistently for a long enough period of time that it became a routine? It became something you did without thinking about it? I get up and make coffee first thing every morning. I don’t wonder if I should make coffee this morning, I just do it. I started running a little over a year ago. Now I do it every day. It’s a habit. It isn’t something I have to decide to do anymore.

Okay, so I got sidetracked in so many areas of my life over the last 3 months at WaWa and other events in my life.  I stopped tracking at Weight Watchers – not good.  Stopped making calls in my business – not good.  I let social media play a bigger part in my business then I think is healthy.  It took away the personal aspect of everything.  UGH!  Now, probably isn’t the best time to try and get back on track since I leave in 8 days for Thirty One’s National Conference BUT I am going to make an effort this week to set up a routine.

I mean really, my calendars is really light on Home parties.  I have used the excuse that summer is a busy time for everyone.  The truth is that I haven’t really been doing the work to get those home parties.  I had a Facebook party that was kind of a flop, so instead of letting it get the best of me. TODAY, I am messaging everyone who was invited to see if they are interested in having a party.  I need to do some work to get my business back in shape.

I LOVE my Thirty One business as I am sure that many of you LOVE yours…I can get bookings! I can earn $100, $200 or more at a party! I can recruit from those parties! I can book multiple parties from each of the parties you hold! I can earn $1,000 or more in the next month or two, depending on how many parties you do!

This is my NEW mindset and my self-talk.

“You are successful the moment you start moving toward a worthwhile goal.” – Charles Carlson

Here are Shari’s six steps to get your business back in shape:

1. Why do you want to get more parties on your calendar? Why do you want to get your business back in shape?
2. Decide to make it happen, no matter what.
3. Get clear on the number of parties you want to do, and what you will do with the money that you earn from these parties.
4. Commit to doing the work to get the parties.
5. Schedule a one hour block to make contacts for the next three weeks.
6. Make the contacts.

Go for 100 NO’s…. I know that sounds crazy BUT the more no’s that you get, the more yes’s you will get.  WHY? Because you are making contacts.  The bookings you get, holding the parties, and the bookings from those parties (which will be much easier) will excite you and you will have a fresh enthusiasm for your business.

“Not managing your time and making excuses are two bad habits. Don’t put them both together by claiming you don’t have the time.” – Bo Bennett

Who is ready to GET INTO SHAPE?  Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Leadership Myth #3

Happy HUMP Day!  Leadership Myth #3 was a true AHA moment for me.  It made me realize that I AM a leader despite all of my doubts. Okay, are you wondering what this “SMACK” myth is?

Myth #3 is “You have to create trainings for your team members”

Is this one of YOUR fears?  Does this make you wonder if you can be a leader? I have an AMAZING upline who just seems to have a knack for creating fun and informative trainings.  I always feel like I have to live up to that when the truth is creating trainings are NOT one of my strong points.  That became very obvious last week…my team had requested a “training” on how to do fundraisers.  So, “Fun-draising for Fun and Profit” was developed and I should say FLOPPED.  I spent countless hours trying to figure out ways to make this training fun on Facebook.  it was a dry topic but it was filled with lots of information – maybe too much.  I wanted to WOW them but they have to show up to WOW them, right?  Out of a team of 27, only  3 actually showed up for the training.  UGH!  So, maybe training is not a strong point for me…

Then Dana Wilde shares the TRUTH which is “Be a resource for your team”.   This is something that I can do…I mean have a LOT of resources.  As a “retired” social worker, I am FULL of resources.  So, Dana suggested how to be a resource:

1. Start with your company.  Thirty One has what seems like an unlimited amount of resources – videos, 31 minute calls, files, and more.
2. Get plugged into trainers (The Mind Aware, JulieAnne Jones, Shari Hudspeth and more).  When I first looked to leadership, I started with The Mind Aware by Dana Wilde.  It was there that I had the chance to hear all kinds of trainers with LOTS of different ideas.  I was able to find the tips that worked for me.

Being a resource is about discussing a topic, not training on it.  It encourages your team to invest in their own success.  It gets them fired up.  Challenge them to use those resources and share what they learned and what tips they are going to try in their business.

Do people come to you for help?  Then you have skills to be a leader.  Step out of your comfort zone and give it a try…

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!