How to Stretch Yourself

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?  Be honest!  I don’t mean putting your toe out, finding it was too hard and giving up.  I mean really stretched yourself?

Honestly, I can’t remember when I last did.  To do it, I would have to BELIEVE in myself.  Hmm, I don’t know about you but I struggle with it.  On the outside many see a CEO of her own business who lives life on her terms.  The truth is most days I struggle to believe in myself!  Okay it is out there and I can’t take it back……

I always find when I stretch myself beyond my comfort zone, I am surprised it really isn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be.  As I stay in the “new zone”, I get more and more comfortable.

The last 60 days have been filled with lots of changes for me – personally and in my business.  All good things but things which needed to be done.  Clearing out the clutter to make way for more blessings!  One of the first things I wanted to do was create a list of goals.  I’m great for lists.  When we step out of our comfort zone, too many BIG goals can be so scary we retreat.  So I am working on being inspired.  I know vague, right?  Definitely not a SMART goal but I am working on one.  I am going to set a goal which stretches me and as a result will excite me enough to move into action.  I have been told a “stretch goal” will develop your character by tapping into your strengths.

Since MS seems to have wrecked havoc on my memory and my thought process, I struggle with figuring these kinds of things our.  I know the answers are all in my head, it is just getting them out and on paper.  Thank you Valerie Burton for these questions to help me (and you) find your stretch goal.  Answering these questions will help you (and me) find the inspiration to forge ahead and stick to the goal.  Who is ready to join me?

1. What vision feels just beyond your reach?

Are you great at helping others see their vision but you can’t see it for yourself even if you want it?  Yup, I’ve been there.  Do you want to double or triple your income?  Maybe you want to  explore your romantic streak or event your fun side. Do you dream of eating healthy, exercising and being at goal weight? The purpose of this goal is to not choose something realistic, but to choose something which feels beyond your reach — the one you think is as not really possible.  The truth is “it is possible”.  Do you have the faith to believe it? A stretch goal forces you to reach higher than you think you can. If you don’t have to stretch for it, it’s not big enough for this exercise.

2. What specific, measurable, and time-sensitive goal would bring you closer to that vision?

Now for the fun part where we get specific about the goal. Make it vivid. Describe it in a way you can measure your progress so you know when you have reached the finish line. And most importantly, give yourself a deadline. You know what happens when there’s no deadline, right? It’s always something you’ll start tomorrow. Before you know it, a year has passed and you set the same goal again!   Sort of like those New Year’s Resolutions.  We make them at the beginning of the year with no specific time frame in mind.  A year is a long time when you don’t have a plan.  Here is an example: “I’m going to have more fun and truly enjoy my life rather than treating every activity like a burden” is a great vision (not mine). You could break it down by saying, “I am going to travel for pleasure more. Once every three months I am going to take a fun trip, even if it’s just a weekend road trip somewhere adventurous. And my first trip will be four weeks from now.”

3. Who will you tell?

Make yourself accountable.  Don’t keep your vision and goal to yourself. Tell somebody. Actually,  tell EVERYONE who is a supportive person in your life. Negative people may throw water on your passion and excitement: “Are you sure?” “That sounds hard.” “You’ve never done that before!” You don’t need doubters to fill your head with negativity.  Find someone encouraging, they might even want to join you. Chances are if you keep it to yourself, you will  quietly drop the goal if you don’t achieve it. Commit to it. Declare it out loud. When we  share our plans with others, it is far more likely you’ll actually carry it out.

So, are you going to stop playing it safe?  Are you going to STRETCH????  Share your goal with us, so we can celebrate and encourage you along the way.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

SMART De-Cluttering Goals

If you are in direct sales or work in a corporate environment, you have heard the term S.M.A.R.T. goals.  You know that by using this format, you will get further faster with less struggle.  Did you ever think of using the same goal setting principles to de-cluttering your home or office.

Let’s be honest.  We all have visions of a clutter free home.  A quiet sanctuary that is easy to clean and free of “piles” every where you look.  Maybe you just want a home that is neat and tidy.  Everything put away where it belongs?

So let’s apply the S.M.A.R.T goal theory to cleaning up the clutter:

“S” is for “specific”.  Get as detailed as you can when setting your goal. Instead of saying “I want to clean the family room” say “I want clean the family room by sorting all of the toys into 3 piles of keep, donate and toss.

“M” is for “measurable”.  We need to be able to measure your goal. Three questions you can ask yourself to create measurable goals are – “How will you know when you’ve reached it? How much? How many?”  It we are cleaning, how will you know when you have reached your goal of getting the family room organized?

“A” is for “attainable”.  Your goal must be attainable, doable and practical. You can’t possibly clean the family room in 30 minutes, right?  You need to give yourself an appropriate amount of time or it will never happen.  How about if you pick a room a day or maybe a few hours?

“R” is for “realistic”.  This is the most important piece.  You can ensure your goal is realistic is by honestly asking yourself if you’re ready and willing to do what it takes to achieve the goal. If not, it’s not likely you’ll hit it.  Are you really ready to sort the family room into those 3 piles AND follow through?

“T” is for “timely”.   Time frames create a sense of urgency and help you back into your goal. How long should this goal take? What’s an appropriate time frame?  Setting a goal with no completion date is continuing to push the goal off into the future. A time frame makes it real and gets you into immediate action.

What is your SMART goal for de-cluttering your home? Share it with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Business & Weight Loss Goals – the same?

The last day of the month and the crunch is on, especially if you are in direct sales.  Maybe you are stalking your back off to see if you made your numbers.  Maybe you are taking last minute orders from customers who forgot to order (retiring product or thermal special).  Maybe you are looking at the scale and thinking, next month I will do better.  If any of these are you, here are some thoughts from an article that I read about the similarity between business and weightless/ fitness goals.

Are you successful in your business?  Do you wonder how you can get back to exercising (or maybe even start)?  Are you tired of trying to loose weight? Maybe this will help

 

 

1. Results don’t happen overnight.

When I started my direct sales business, it was busy at first because of the excitement of sharing new product.  When I started my weight loss journey, I was excited when I lost a few pounds.  The excitement kept me moving forward and I never really thought that success wasn’t happening overnight.  I was willing to put in the work because I saw results.  I reached goals by taking it one day at a time.  I was willing and continue to be willing to work hard to reach my goals, no matter how long it takes.

2. Success requires a complete plan.

Okay, so I tried “winging” it in weight loss and in my business.  No plan written down.  The results were disastrous.  I ended up making unhealthy food choices and my business was stuck.  So what did I do differently to reach some of my goals?  I joined Weight Watchers for a plan.  To have someone tell me what I could and couldn’t eat – worked.  I mean after loosing 108 pounds why would I consider anything else.  As for business goals, I now have a plan on what I want to accomplish each day, each week, quarterly and annually.  I mean how many of us would walk into a job every day without some kind of a plan.  No matter what your job, you have a plan (or a routine). The same is true about weight loss goals.

 

3. Step away from your comfort zone.

On a daily basis I step out of my comfort zone in my business.  I am willing to talk to new people, try to new ideas and open my mind to learning from others.  So why don’t I do the same thing in my weight loss/ exercise journey.  I tried the gym for about  2 weeks faithfully.  Then I got bored.  Actually I didn’t see results.  I tried to ride the stationary bike consistently.  I didn’t see results.  Do we see a pattern here.  Refer back to #1. I have done what is comfortable (the same things) and expecting different results.  Insane, right? I stepped out of my comfort zone with Weight Watchers so why is exercising so different.  FEAR!  Yup, that sums it up. So just like when I let FEAR run my business, letting FEAR run my exercise program will get me the same results – STUCK!

 

4. Make your goals attainable.

It’s important that you always set goals that are reachable. This isn’t to say that you should create easy goals just for the sake of hitting them — but they need to be feasible.  Maybe a little out of reach that will require stepping out of your comfort zone.  This is a struggling point for me in my weight loss journey and in my business.  I see the BIG picture and want it NOW.  I mean can’t someone just wave the magic wand and make it happen.  The truth is that when I started working towards attainable goals in my business and my weight loss journey – I reached those goals.  So, why do I struggle so much when it comes to exercise?  Anyone have a magic wand or a crystal ball so I can SEE what exercise I will like and stuck with?

 

5. Embrace the lifestyle.

I have always been willing to get up early for work – I mean what other crazy person would make a 4-hour round-trip commute to work then work 40+hours and be on call 24/7 if they weren’t willing to work.  I still get up early and am in my office by 6:30AM. I embrace my direct sales business the same way.  Hubby says on most days that is all I talk about.  So I embrace the lifestyle of my business.  Eating healthy and following Weight Watchers is a lifestyle too.  I have embraced that or I wouldn’t be able to keep off the weight that I lost, right?  Here is the kicker, I just haven’t been able to embrace the exercise lifestyle.  Can’t or won’t?  It is a lifestyle that ignites my inner gremlins of not being good enough as or not coordinated enough. I know that if I want results I have to embrace the lifestyle which simply means adding it to my calendar and stepping out of my comfort zone.  Are we seeing a pattern here?

My challenge to you, if you are struggling with both of these areas in your life – set a goal that is attainable in each area and be prepared to work to reach that goal no matter what.  Baby steps to get started.  If you have success in one of these areas and not the other – apply the same principles from the successful area to the unsuccessful area and see what a difference it makes

Share your thoughts, I would love to know what you think.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Are You BRAVE

What do you think of when you think of someone who is brave?  Do you have visions of our military across the world who support our freedom?  Do you think of those fighting terminal illnesses?  Do you think of those who seem to never get a break and are always struggling?  Do you think of YOURSELF?

Would you consider yourself brave?  Have you overcome a fear and now feel confident with a purpose and fulfillment in your life?  If you so, guess what YOU are BRAVE!!

Ultimately being brave comes from a place of courage and self discovery.  So if you are wondering how you can become BRAVE in your business or in your personal life, here are some things that might help you on this journey:

Be Honest With Yourself About Your Big Dreams:   Do you have a BIG dream?  Do you have goals that seem so scary and out of reach that you are afraid to say them out loud?  Do you hide them from others because they may think they are silly or unattainable?

Did you know that once we speak them, we’re making space for the possibility that we might fail. Yes, I said might fail.  It is a 50/50 shot but that is OKAY!  By having the courage to be honest with ourselves about what it is we really want to do and achieve, we allow ourselves to explore whether it’s possible and what the next steps forward are for us to take.  If you have a big dream or goal that you’ve been keeping quiet and tucked away because you’re afraid you’re not good enough, that it’s not possible, or that there just isn’t enough hours in the day to make it happen, try saying it out loud and exploring realistically how you can start working towards it.

Take Small Steps:  Don’t just focus on the BIG dream, work on small pieces that will help you reach that dream.  Let the BIG dream be your motivation to keep moving forward as you take small steps forward.  Focus on quality over quantity.  If you are in direct sales, focus on the basics of book, sell and recruit.  Be consistent with your hostess coaching and with your follow-up.  Be consistent each week with your efforts.  Set small obtainable goals – CELEBRATE as you reach each milestone. REWARD yourself for your accomplishments, big or small.  Each small step gets you a little closer to your bigger goal and your ultimate dream.

Commit To A Bigger Project: When you start to feel a little uninspired, or like you’ve hit a wall and you’re aching for a new challenge – challenge yourself.  Team up with a friend or colleague or challenge your team.  Whether it’s stepping out of your comfort zone, a new party format, a booking blitz, moving to a new area, picking up the phone, a vendor event or accepting a challenge, taking a leap into a brand new adventure is enough to scare even the boldest of us. Being brave and taking that leap is a great way to really feel fulfilled and take a leap towards you BIG DREAM!

My challenge for you this week is to be brave. Even with the possibility of failure, judgement, and criticism, let this be the week we choose courage and reaching for your our DREAM.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

 

Back to Business

As parents are counting down the days till the kids go back to school and the kids are dreading that first day… JulieAnnJones gives us another way to look at the transition that our business will take (especially those in direct sales) as we head into the final 1/3 of the business year.  For most of us, this is when 70% of our business will take place.  I am always amazed at that number but the truth is when I look at my sales, these are by far the best months.  New catalog – new prints – back to school shopping – holiday shopping – parties – fundraising, the list goes on.

So, here are the questions that JulieAnn suggested to get your thinking “transition”, you know from Vacation Veronica to Successful Sally….

1. What are your goals for the next four months?  Goals should be written down.  I have a goal board that I use to keep me on track (most of the time) along with a vision board.  It is already broken down into months but really, they are not those S.M.A.R.T. goals.  so it may be time to hit the drawing board again.
2. How much income will you earn?  I know how much I want to earn or that I need to pay bills but the truth is that I struggle with the “will earn”.  Those simple words require confidence which leads to stepping out of my comfort zone which requires faith to believe that I CAN do this.  Fear sometimes gets in the way of that which causes me to settle instead of striving.
3. How many parties will it take to reach your goal?  My goal has always been a minimum of 6 events per month with the sky being the limit.  I say events because I count Facebook, catalog and fundraisers in my plan.  Home parties are the BEST because my party averages are so much higher than a Facebook or catalog party but I am working on that with the help of some tech savvy consultants.
4. How many new team members will you need to bring onto your team?  I have stopped saying that this is an area where I struggle because negative thoughts brings negative actions right?  How many do I need versus how many do I want?  You know the age old wants versus need battle, right?  For me, I need to re-promote (in theory) every year which means that I need at least 4 new qualified consultants during the year.  Goal written so now let’s put that into action.
5. What will you commit to daily to reach your goal? Weekly? Monthly?  Although this is different for each of us, it is the action steps you will take to achieve your goal for the season.  Write them down.  Take action.  Step out of your comfort zone and reach for the moon.
6. Finally, how will you feel once you hit it? (Really define this – it’s probably the most important item on this list).  I am always emotionally overwhelmed when I reach a written goal.  It takes awhile to sink in but in the end, I am humbled by my success and one step closer to shading Negative Nellie and Doubtful Debbie forever.

Just like the syllabi your kids are bringing home with outlines of assignments and project for the next semester in each class, this list will help you create your own syllabus for success in your direct sales business. I’d love to have you share your goals and action steps below.

Hope you have a ThirtyOne-derful day!