Confidence is Within Your Reach

Confident by definition is “feeling or showing self-assured; and feeling or showing certainty about something.”  Have you ever felt your confidence slipping?  Fear and doubt creeps in?  Those nasty inner gremlins play with your emotions?

I have a choice – it is time to make a decision and take action.  Time to stop wallowing in self-pity.  Time to find the independent confident woman I was.  Time to STOMP on those inner gremlins.  Yes, there may be tears.  Yes, there may be angry moments.  But in the end, all will be well.  God has a plan for me and I need to have faith.

I looked back at an article I read on the Direct Sales Education Foundation‘s website about “Finding Confidence“.  Yes, I need to hit “RESET” periodically because those nasty gremlins find their way past the closed (or what I thought was sealed) doors.

Has “self confidence” been a struggle for you?  I know I am always talking about it but I but I am often surprised by the people who share they lack confidence.  On the outside they appear strong, capable of overcoming anything while on the inside they are fighting the same inner gremlins many of us do.   Here are some of the tips which might help:

• Practice makes perfect.   We have all heard this a million times growing up – from sports to school to musical instruments.  As I got older, practicing seemed silly.  I was a fan of winging it but have found when I do, my confidence is sometimes shaken.  “My mission is to bring a smiles and paychecks to those who are struggling and love #ThirtyOneGifts as much as I do!” Something simple but definitely worth practicing.  My party scripts are becoming a little bit more natural too since I have been practicing.  Practice may not make me perfect but it will help to build confidence.
• Find a mentor.  I have an amazing upline, Hope Shortt has been supportive and knows just when to challenge me.  Find someone who you want to be like, ask them if you can shadow them.  Find someone who you can trust and respect and build a relationship.  I also am blessed to have Desiree Wolfe in my corner.  Her kick in the butt is what I need sometimes.
• Find a partner.  Find a close friend, family member or even your spouse who can share in your accomplishments and help to bolster your confidence.
• Dress for success.  This is something else I have heard since my college days.  Wear something which makes you feel good when you go to a presentation or a meeting.  It should fit well and be put together with accessories and hair style.  Someone asked me the other day if I had a makeover.  I was THRILLED.  No, not a formal one but I did in my head.  How?  Hair style instead of just hair hanging straight.  Out of my jeans for meetings and into a pair of khakis (capris right now) with a nice shirt and jewelry.  Makeup.  I never leave the house without some.  You never know who you will run into on the trip to the grocery store to grab a gallon of milk.

Simple tips but for those of us who have a small comfort zone, this is a BIG deal.  Things I have heard for years but thought I was “too old”.  You can teach an old dog new tricks – really!  Are you ready to challenge yourself?  Try one of these tips, if not all of them.  DREAM BIG!  The sky is the limit.

Time to accept your strengths and weaknesses. Challenges will come but it is how we deal with them which makes the difference in the end.  Time to be confident in myself and how I want my life to be.

How do you find your confidence?  Please share, I would love to hear and at the same time, you may help someone else.  Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

What is YOUR Brand?

A few weeks ago I walked into a vendor event to hear “are you the angel lady that sells Thirty One?”.  It took me a minute but then I said “yes”.  I was totally surprised by the question but grateful the two things were linked together.

Obviously you know I am a Thirty One consultant BUT I also love to make and share my angels.

I have found the perfect way to combine my two loves to make a difference in the lives of others.  My traveling angel pins allow individuals to buy an angel and send one to a person who needs some encouragement.  Know someone who is struggling?  Let me know and I will send them a pin.

Where is all of this leading?  I have (accidentally) branded myself as “the Thirty One angel lady”.  Is it a bad thing? No! But I am grateful to have created my own niche of making a difference.

1. Realize branding does apply to you.

No matter what you do, branding can take your career or business to the next level.  Your brand reflects your reputation — what you’re known for (or would like to be known for). What was once called a reputation is now called a brand.  Don’t we all want to be know for something?

2. State who and what you are (not what you’re not).

Remember positive brings positive into your Universe.  Your branding should be consistent from beginning to the end.  Showcase your accomplishments and expertise but don’t overinflate to the point you can’t follow through.  Authenticity is the key.  I am all about giving back.  Hubby says my tagline should be “I will never be Rockefeller (rich with money)” because I am all about giving to others.

3. Honestly, ask yourself what is your value.

When was the last time you wrote down your core strengths. Prepare a list. Ask yourself what your top 5 accomplishments have been in the past 5, 10, 15 years. Which ones stand out as the most value to your business or your company?

Branding is all about impressing others not ourselves, right?  So, why not ask others what they see as your most positive attributes (family, friends, or colleagues). I know this can be scary BUT you may be surprised to find out how others perceive you. You may actually be surprised to see what things come to the forefront as your areas of expertise.

4. Understand developing a brand takes time.

This is HUGE!  I have been with Thirty One for 6 years.  I have done many things to try and “brand myself” but with the help of Desiree Wolfe, I found my niche.  

What does it mean? Every day, I share things which bring my brand (Thirty One and angels) into the spotlight.  I want to make a difference and I try to do it every day in some small way with everyone I meet.  Remember developing a brand is about adding value which results in you being seen and heard. It’s about distinguishing you from your competitors.

5. Create a blog and write what you know.

I hear the groans of those who say “I can’t write”.  How often are you asked the same question by almost all of your customers?  Maybe it is about a situation or a product or a service.  Guess what?  You answer the question a million times, why not write about it and share the answer.  It’s simple – choose a hot question in your field and just start writing by answering it in an article or blog post.  You have now proven you know what you’re talking about.

6. Interact more than less.

I’m still getting the hang of this.  I don’t want to be spammy or pushy or salesy. I do want to gain attention to me (as the brand) then my products and services which leads to more sales.  I may blog daily but I don’t consistently post comments on Facebook groups or on other blog posts.  You need to decide what works with your schedule and time ability.

Your online identity is a priority in today’s busy digital world. I heard “your online branding as a #digitaltattoo which is so true.  Once it is out there – it stays out there. Wonder where you stand right now?  Google yourself, your brand, or your product/service.  See what comes up.  The biggest compliment I have received is when someone I know as an acquanitence tells me they Googled a subject and I came up.

My angels help me stand out with my Thirty One customers.  The angels help them to remember me!  What is your brand?  Share it with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

What Makes You Special?

Today is WOOHOO Wednesday and we are going to CELEBRATE your uniqueness or those qualities that make you special.   I was inspired today to talk about this after reading a blog post by Lynette Barbieri.

If I asked you to tell me “what makes you special?“, could you do it?

It would be a struggle for me – shocking for some, I am sure.   Growing up, I didn’t want to be unique – I just wanted to fit in.  I didn’t want to be “special” because that meant that I wasn’t popular.  I didn’t know what was special about me.  I didn’t have that feeling in my gut that told me how great I was.  I wanted to hide in a corner and not be seen.  I lived that way for many years.  Then I started to squash those inner gremlins and embrace the positives qualities that are deep in my core.

In direct sales, I  often hear that you want to stand out from the pack.  I mean with thousands of consultants in your company, why would someone pick you above anyone else.  Why would they stay faithful to you?  I honestly didn’t know.  I always knew that I had a special purpose but I never knew how to express it.  Was being a good listener special?  How about helping others? Or giving to others even when you don’t have it?  I am crafty but is that special?  I can play (or used to) the piano, what is so special about that?

I am learning that all of those things are the qualities that draw people to me.  I am resourceful able to connect people with resources.  I get along with people from all different backgrounds.  I am passionate, and caring.  I want to make people smile.  I have lots of “stuff” (information) in my head but I don’t always know how to share it – just ask and I will share all I know.

The truth is that I may not believe that I have greatness inside of me BUT I DO believe that you have greatness in YOU!

So, what about you?  What are your strengths?  I know I keep going back to that but when we lock into what those are, it will help us know where we are going.  We have to be willing to take risks to discover our purpose and to achieve greatness.  A life without risk is boring, right?

Maybe you know what your greatness is and you are afraid to share it?  You don’t have to hide it.  You don’t have to deny it.  You don’t have to worry about what other people say or think.  You need to OWN IT!

At a Leadership retreat, my mantra became “Own My Journey“.  Because the truth was that I was trying to follow everyone else’s journey.  I need and so do you to “own your journey” so that we can grow into the people sharing our gifts along with the way.  We all have our own journey.  What other people think is none of our business.

As Vanessa Coppes, refers to it “your shining  light”!  By working with both of these ladies, I started to see my shining light and I learned that I need to let it shine more!

So, ladies, never let anyone dim that light.  Remember, life is a marathon not a sprint.

What makes you special? I would love to hear it! Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Celebrate YOU!

Woohoo Wednesday!  Do you know what day it is?

Today we are going to CELEBRATE YOU and all of your awesomeness…..

If you are like me, you have an “inner gremlin” (IG) that likes to highlight your negatives instead of the positive qualities that you possess.  A gremlin that we have probably stuffed down in the depths of our soul for years.  Then one day, it rears his ugly head and with it comes Negative Nellie.  For some it is easy to kick the IG and Nellie to the curb.  Then there are those of us who let them take up space in our head.

These negative thoughts have you doubting your awesomeness.  Maybe you thought it was the lack of money, or support from loved ones or the lack of a plan that was killing your dreams. But guess what – that is sooooo WRONG!

It is this inner gremlin that kills your dreams and your desires.  He tells you that you’re not worthy of or able to attain your desires,  It is this gremlin that has stopped countless books from being written, stopped love from being expressed, stopped careers from being changed or stopped healthy actions being taken, stopped businesses from being started, stopped amazing trips from being taken…do you see where this is going?

When you let go of this (and other) gremlins, it is one of the most powerful things you can do.  Everyone has inner gremlins, it is just that some decided not to engage them so they are not able to impact their life.

So, how do we put these inner gremlins in check?  We celebrate them.  We acknowledge them.  We stop them from gaining control of our lives.  I stomped on my IG and continue to stomp on them when they rear their nasty heads by using these 2 tricks:

 

1. Celebrate yourself.  Celebrate the things that you like about yourself.  You are arming yourself with the shield that will help to protect you from those inner gremlins.  Can’t think of anything?  Think about the things that people compliment you on – nice hair, eyes, or smile; or a good cook, or a good friend?  Write down 3 celebrations of how awesome you are.  I know you can do it because YOU ROCK!

2. Own your unique strengths and gifts. We all have incredible strengths and gifts!  I imagine when someone asks you what your weaknesses are, you quickly rattle them off.  Do you do the same when they ask what your strengths are?  I am guessing that you struggle.  Maybe you are afraid it will be viewed as bragging?  Maybe you honestly don’t think you have any.  We all have them and we need to OWN them.  Jot down your 5 biggest and most enjoyable strengths and gifts.  By owning your strengths and gifts, you will be able to PROVE to your gremlin just how amazing and worthy you are.

I would love to CELEBRATE you and all of your awesomeness.  Shoot me an email at

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Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Team Building

My daughter, Belinda was on an All Star Cheerleading team.  They had a common goal with a  vision – to be champions.  As crazy as it sounds, I never really thought about my direct sales team in the same way.  A team with a common goal and vision – to make a difference in the world.

This week’s topic in my NIV Leadership Bible was “team building” and a light bulb went off.  Yes, I have been a Leader for two years.  Yes, I thought I had it all together – most of the time.  BUT I realized that my team doesn’t have a common goal.  I don’t want the common goal to reaching my numbers or winning an incentive trip.  I want their common goal, to be “combining their strengths to help one another to grow and to change their world”. 

As a team member, have you thought your only role was to help your up line earn more money?  Do you figure you don’t have enough time for my family, my job/ business; how could I possible help someone else?    Do you think; “I have nothing in common with the rest of the team” or maybe it is “I can barely help myself, how can I help others”?

As a leader, have you worked to bring unity to your team?  Does your team come together or do they barely know each other?  Are you team members willing to share their strengths, hopes and experiences so that they can help others on the team?  Or do they only post when you ask a question?  Do they share ideas to help others?

To be honest, the leader questions had me thinking  about things.  For me, I have an individual connection with each of the members of my team.  God placed each of us in the others lives for a reason.  The reason was clear from the beginning with some while others it took time to see and then a few who I am still not sure the reason. My team is from a variety of backgrounds, life experiences,  and different personalities.  A “diverse team is tougher to lead – but training lions is more exciting than feeding goldfish!”.  So true!

 I am going to step out of the comfort zone to try this out:

• List the strengths of each team member as an individual – in their business, their personal life and in their personality.
• Work out a plan for each of them to share their strength with the others on the team.
• Highlight their skill or strength in a Facebook post on the team page or at a gathering or in a short video or in the monthly team newsletter.  Whatever works for that team member.

The goal is to build a strong team that is working together to help each other reach their full potential.  It is not just about the sales.  It is about using the skills that we have to make a difference in the world around us.  As we make a difference in the world, the sales will come.

Maybe you have someone who is great at budgeting or saving money with coupons.  Maybe you have someone who is great at organizing their calendar – you know juggling multiple things on a daily basis.  Maybe you have someone who is great at starting conversations with people when out and about.  Let them share it with the team.  Encourage them to share their strengths (even those that they don’t see) to help others.

In the early years of  HIV/AIDS,  most of my clients were hiding in the shadows.  As I learned their strengths and talents, I provided them with a safe space to learn and grow.  The result was an AMAZING group of people that came together (when needed) to help each other in their own way.  Their vision was to make a difference in the world, and believe me, each of them left a lasting impression on those lives that they touched.

So, that is how I want to lead my team – “combining their strengths to help one another to grow and to change their world”.  What about you?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!