Are you REALLY playing FULL OUT?

I can hardly believe that I just finished my 82^nd day in a row of P90X!  Next week marks week 13 and at this point there is no doubt that it is done.  The question I have been pondering the last few days is… have I REALLY thrown my heart over the line?  What?  How can I even ponder that?  How many people can say they have truly stuck to 82 days of an extreme home fitness program?

Here’s where the question came from… if I really threw my heart over the line, why is it that I haven’t lost even 1 lb?  Yes, you can see a visible difference in my physique – there’s definitely more definition.  Conclusion?  Muscle weighs more than fat and maybe the weight has just been reconfigured.  If I really threw my heart over the line every day, why is it that I only felt the muscle fatigue periodically?

Ok so here’s the deal.  There is a huge sense of accomplishment from knowing that I proved to myself that I am capable of staying committed to my goal even when I don’t feel like it.  There is no doubt that I feel so much stronger and my clothes do fit differently.  Most people would just say – who cares about the results… you did it!

Here is one of the lessons I learned.  It is truly possible to “compartmentally” throw your heart over the line.  I was a million percent committed to completing the task.  BUT, I now know that I could have done better. 

Have you ever run a race of some kind and after crossing the finish line you realized there was more in you?  You could have gone faster?  Or have you ever held your breath under water, thought you were out of breath and when you came up realized you could have stayed down a little longer?  THAT’s the heart over the line that I’m talking about.  I realize now that my goal was just to complete the task.  I didn’t go full out. 

There is a connection between your activity and results… but there’s an even stronger connection when you add intention.  ACTIVITY + INTENTION = MAXIMUM RESULTS.  Here’s the key…it’s not just what you do that matters, it’s what you’re thinking while you’re doing it that is the critical inch!

Sometimes it means doing something differently, but most of the time it just requires THINKING something different while doing it.  When I look back on the last 82 days of working out?   

1)    I never truly decided what I wanted the results to be.

 2)       I never changed my eating habits

3)     I didn’t always go full out in each workout.

4)     Sometimes I just went through the motions so I could “check off the box”

I remember a time when I would get frustrated that a round of golf that I played was awful.  I would finish up and think – why do I bother with this game?  Well, of course I played awful, I set myself up for failure because I didn’t practice.  I just expected my game to be great even though I didn’t put in the time to get there.

Why do we do that?  I say “we” because I know I can’t be the only one who has ever completed a goal that didn’t turn out how I expected it to turn out. 

It doesn’t matter what goal or commitment is involved in your life.  It could be a relationship, it could be a physical life change, it could be a class in school or even one for fun, it could be a business goal.  Are you truly playing full out?  Are you setting yourself up to truly get the maximum results?

Each day before you begin your activity, I challenge you to ask yourself what do I want my end result to be and am I walking into this activity with the right mindset?”

Here’s the cool thing about this specific example.  Working out is not a one time thing.  I may not have maximized the work I put into the first 82 days, but I do have 8 more days left in this series AND I do have the option to start over again once this set is done!  Who knows, maybe it takes some people 90 days to get the results they want, but maybe it takes me 120?  Does it really matter how long it takes?  No!

Guess what?  You have that option in most things in your life.  You are not limited to just one try in your business.  You can do what I’ve done and learn from what has already happened.  You can’t change what has passed, but you can change how you do things starting now!  Don’t change your goal or dream…just change the date!  What do you need to be THINKING today in order to truly play FULL OUT? 

To Win Big, You Must Be Willing to Fail Big!

Wow!  We are back from our annual Seminar and it is truly unbelievable how much our company pours into us - their independent sales force!  I cannot tell you how many times today's blog topic came up...In order to win big, you must be willing to fail big!  I don't know about you but that doesn't sound very fun right?  But it is so true. 

Have you ever been in love?  Or better yet, have you ever had your heart broken?  If the answer to that question is yes, then you know what it means to take the risk of failing big.  The word failure is a very deceiving word because to most of us failure means there's something wrong with us and we'll NEVER be happy.  But the truth is failure is simply temporary.  In fact usually when something doesn't work out we learn from it and then the next time we have an opportunity we at the very least know what we don't want.  Are you with me? 

I can remember a time that my heart was broken.  It hurt so badly that things didn't work out and I vowed never to have that feeling ever again.  Can anyone relate?  So what do we do?  We either avoid relationships entirely, or choose one that we know ahead of time will be safe and won't work out...we'll have fun, we won't be alone, but we know ahead of time that since we won't be investing our hearts into it, there's no possibility of it being broken again.  Well while we know that we can't get hurt, entering into a situation like that also ensures that we will not be happy either.

So how does this relate to achieving your goals and dreams?  It's quite simple.  We always tell you that if your goals or dreams don't require that you step out of your comfort zone and grow... if you set a goal and it doesn't make you nervous?  Then you're probably playing it safe.  You see, dreams are meant to stretch us.  They require that we truly throw our heart over the line and give it everything we've got.  Now if you do and come up short, it might hurt but I guarantee that you'll still be closer to your dream than if you hadn't.  And when you do reach your goals & dreams, the victory will be beyond what you imagined.  When you're willing to take the risk of failing, the win is even sweeter. 

When you play it safe and just reach for a goal that you know you can achieve without much effort it just doesn't feel like a victory when you reach it.  You get there and realize you could have done more.  You could have pushed a little harder and done so much better.  You look back with regret and realize you were capable of so much more and you didn't allow yourself to take the chance.

Or even worse...have you ever set a huge goal and then didn't really try?  You allowed situations in your life to serve as your excuses why you couldn't give it your all?  If the answer is yes, then you're probably familiar with that same feeling of regret.  Do not allow even one excuse to slow you down!

The truth is, when you play full out and sprint past your finish line it doesn't matter whether you succeeded or not.  It's the person you become in the process that is the true victory.  When you play full out, even if you come up short, you reach a place that you've never been before.  There is no disappointment when you know that you did the very best you could because the person you will have become will know that you can simply move the date of your finish line and keep on going until.... a true champion will always win big because they know that failure is temporary. 

To Win Big, You Must Be Willing to Fail Big.  Are you willing to take a chance?  Is it time for you to truly throw your HEART over the line and step up?  Just imagine how you'll be able to encourage others when you WIN BIG.  Just imagine the person you'll become when you cross that finish line.  You will be a person who is ready to take the next step -- another step closer to your dream life.  I believe in you.  I know you are a champion. 

Your Success is Directly Correlated to the Length of Time Between Appointments

No matter how good you are at what you do, everyone gets “out of shape”.  Yesterday there was an article on Michael Phelps – you know, the swimmer in Beijing who has already been labeled by many as The Greatest Olympian.  The article was about his next goals and intentions for the Olympics in London next year.

Ever since Beijing in 2008, Michael has been found more often on a golf course than in a swimming pool.  The article said that before the 2007 World Championships he was logging nearly 50 miles a week in a swimming pool (holy cow!), and in this past year, it’s been more like 19 miles a week.  That’s less than half the amount of time per week than before. 

Many of you know that I had the privilege of meeting Michael in person because of my Event Management project in Beijing.  When I talked to him in Beijing, he said that in the 3 years leading up to Beijing, he never missed a day in the pool.  No exceptions.  That means birthdays, holidays, sick… no matter what.  The difference between #1 & #2 in swimming is often hundredths of a second.  He said that he truly believed that the consistency in the pool is what made the greatest difference.  Is he talented?  No doubt.  But there are tons of other swimmers around the world that are also very talented.  The critical inch is the amount of time he spent in the swimming pool.  It’s what set him apart.

Since Beijing he has spent significantly less time in the pool… and he’ll be the first to tell you that’s one of the reasons he has (temporarily) lost his edge.  Is he still talented?  Of course.  Does he still know how to swim?  Absolutely.  But there is nothing that replaces time logged in action. 

I don’t care how good you are at what you do, the more time there is between appointments, the rustier you get.  There are nuances that cannot be learned in a book, the only way to sharpen your skills is to be in action.  I dare you to test me on this one. 

Go hold one skin care party and afterwards take notes on what you can improve on.  And then I dare you to hold 10 within a week.  Whether you are successful at it or not, re-evaluate yourself at the end of that week and tell me that you didn’t improve.  When you know what you need to improve on and then apply what you learned immediately, the learning curve is shorter.  You will get better exponentially simply because there is less time between applying your lessons. 

The article about Michael says that the losses he’s had in the last couple of years is beginning to build up his motivation to come back even stronger.  Maybe you’ve had a little dip in your success over the last year.  There’s no time like the present to come back even stronger!  I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to seeing what a champion like Michael does.  You know what? I’m even more excited to see YOU take a quantum leap this quarter!!!

You Are Exactly Where You Are Supposed to Be!

Have you ever doubted your purpose?  Have you ever wondered if you should be doing something else?  Maybe I’m not meant to be a leader after all…It seems like I’m just not progressing… maybe I should quit this and do something else.  Let me assure you that if you choose to learn from every moment of your life, God will use it for His purpose when the time is right.

This past November, my best friend and her family experienced one of the worst tragedies there is…she lost her 3 month old baby boy – Johann.  Johann & Lukas (2½ yrs old at the time) were in daycare and depending on the day, whoever got done with work earlier would pick up the boys and head home. 

On this November evening, her husband, Kristian got there first.  When he picked them up, Johann was crying.  He got the boys home, plopped Lukas down in front of his favorite DVD and went to work to calm down Johann.  He tried everything…fed him, changed diapers, etc. but nothing was working.  In the middle of all of this he heard a big crash in the kitchen.  When he went to see what happened, he discovered Lukas had pulled open the child-locked refrigerator and was pulling everything he could reach onto the floor…strawberries…yogurt, etc.  And to add to the mess, their ever helpful golden retriever, Gus, was right by his side licking up everything he could get his tongue on.  For those of you who are parents, I’m sure you can relate to walking into a similarly chaotic situation a time or two. 

So with the baby on one shoulder, he squatted down to move Lukas and Gus away from the refrigerator and somewhere in the process he lost his balance, slipped on the big old mess on their terracotta kitchen floor and fell backwards.  When he got up he found that Johann was non-responsive and so he called 911. 

Fast forward 2 days when I arrived in San Francisco.  I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing there, Jen had plenty of friends and family all around her but I felt this undeniable nudge to go.  Maybe I was there to help out with watching Lukas so they could really focus on Johann.  By this point, brain surgery was performed on Johann in an effort to relieve the pressure in his brain and Jen & Kristian were basically living at the hospital.  When my plane landed, I called Jen’s brother and asked if I should head to the house or the hospital and his response was…come to the hospital… I gotta go… they’re arresting Kristian!.  What?!  At this point I didn’t even know what had happened, just that there was an accident and that Johann had come out of brain surgery. 

By the next morning we knew more.  Kristian was being accused of child abuse and this controversial thing called Shaken Baby Syndrome.  They were accusing him of intentionally harming his child and in the next few days that accusation would become murder.  You can only imagine how horrific it must be to lose a child, but in the process to also be wrongly accused of being the cause of that death was beyond comprehension.

Within the 10 days that I was there in San Francisco I became extremely aware that EVERY talent and skill I had ever learned both in Event Management and Mary Kay would be used for good.  I was in that place at that time for a specific purpose. 

Step 1 – find the best criminal lawyer out there and get Kristian out of jail asap!  Have you ever tried to find a lawyer before?  Don’t answer that.  I hadn’t.  None of us knew the first thing about how to choose one, where to find them or even how the process of bail worked.  It’s funny, when you have a reason “why”, you do whatever it takes to learn everything you can in a short period of time.  By the end of the day, we found our lawyer…which is an entire story in itself, but every people & question asking skill I had learned in Mary Kay was put to use that day.

Step 2 – get him out of jail!  Bail was set at $2 million.  Yes you did read that correctly!  The goal was 2-fold.  Get that bail reduced and start collecting money to get him out.  To get the bail reduced, I sent out an email blast to their friends & family explaining that we needed letters vouching for his character ASAP.  Within 24 hours I received over 100 amazing letters from friends and family from literally around the world.  One of the requirements of the letters was to share who they are to Kristian and what they do.  Letter after letter was signed by Vice President of this and VP of that.  As we read through them I asked Jen if she realized the caliber of friends that they keep and she had no idea.  You’ve heard me say you become like the people you hang around most.  The company you keep is a strong indication of the person you are. 

Within 48 hours, we raised over a million dollars in cash and another million dollars in property was offered up.  I’m talking about people just wiring over money with no questions asked.  I was in complete awe.  Bail was reduced to $750,000 – still a sizeable amount of money to come up with by any standard. What does it say about a person when people start wiring over that kind of cash?  You see, when trouble or opportunity comes knocking on your door, it’s too late to prepare or change who you are.  Your character is not created in times of trouble…it’s revealed. 

After 6 days, he was bailed out of jail.  Today, we are still waiting for trial.  It probably won’t be until 2012 – it’s unbelievable.  Kristian has not been allowed home since November so they are living separately, and they’ve had to sell their house.  There’s so much more to the story than I have shared here, but here’s what I want you to know for today’s lesson.

Had I not walked out my path and become successful in Event Management, I would not have known how to pull together the details that I did over those 10 days.  Had I not walked out my path in Mary Kay in becoming a director, I would not have been exposed to the amazing thinking and leadership skills that I needed to call upon over those 10 days.  Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t arrived and there are still many gifts in my future that I have yet to tap.  But what I want you to know is that if you don’t walk out your path, some purpose or gift that was meant for you may not happen.  Where will your talents and skills be needed?  Which women will not have you as their leader if you don’t continue to walk out and reach your victories this year?  You are where you are supposed to be at this point in time.  If you aren’t where you want to be yet, maybe there’s still something else you’re supposed to learn.  Keep your eyes and your heart open to learn every lesson presented to you and then keep your eyes & heart open for every opportunity to apply what you learn.

I mentioned yesterday that I now have this burning desire to create an extra bank account of $250,000 within the next 5 years.  The amount of money that Kristian’s friends were wiring over was $250,000… one after the other.  While this time I was called upon to use the gifts, talents & skills that I have learned along the way, I realized that had I been called upon to provide financial assistance, I would not have been able to provide that gift.  That burning desire to have the choice to provide financial assistance to anyone I love in the future is my reason why today.  I can’t possibly know what the future holds, I only know that when trouble and/or opportunity arises someday, I want to be ready.  I want to have peace in my heart to know that if that need arises, I won’t only have skills and talents to provide, I’ll also have financial resources to call upon for any of you. 

You are exactly where you are supposed to be – embrace it.

Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does by choices!

Have you ever dreamed of financial freedom?  What does that mean to you?  Does it mean paying off debt...or being able to pay all your bills without looking at your bank account before paying them?  Does it mean being able to go shopping or out to dinner without looking at the price tags?  Does it mean having a million dollars in your bank account... or living in your dream house?  Does it mean being able to pay cash for your kids' college education?  Does it mean being able to write a blank check to your favorite charity?  Maybe it means being able to provide assistance to anyone you care about?

When you own your own business, part of your goal certainly is to become successful and wildly profitable but sometimes we feel bad about collecting money from our clients.  Some people think it's a bad thing to be financially wealthy.  Each of us have a perspective on money that can either help us or stop us from running a successful business.

There was a part of me that felt guilty about making lots of money... until this year.  Tomorrow I'm going to tell you about my friend whose story has created a burning desire in my heart to build an extra bank account with $250,000 in 5 years.  Today?  I want to tell you about our neighbor at the lake. 

Around 4 or 5 years ago, Ron & Karen built their dream house on the lake... right next door to Ross' childhood home.  I remember when they started construction of their 8000 sq. ft. house and how we said it made my mother-in-law's house look like an ant!  They were planning to retire and live the rest of their lives in this home and they built it that big because they wanted all 5 of their grown children and their families to be able to come home all at the same time and spend time together.  Pretty cool huh?  It's wonderful to see a family who did what was necessary over the years to build their dream house, and some of you would say... but who needs a house that big anyway?  Big dream houses definitely do not buy happiness...but in this case, having the choice to be able to provide a place where your entire family AND their families can gather...THAT is part of their definition of happiness. 

Dream house (yes, that's my mother-in-law's house to
the right in the trees which is over 3000 sq ft!)

Let me tell you why I felt compeled to share their story.  A few years ago, Ron was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.  I don't personally know a whole lot about the disease, but what I do know is that your central nervous system deteriorates over time.  He is now in a wheelchair full-time and is paralyzed from the neck down.  Imagine for a minute that you have created your dream life and have just begun enjoying your dream house....and your spouse (whether you have one at the moment or not) begins to deteriorate to the point where he is not able to do anything for himself. 

Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does buy choices.  Because they worked smart, Ron & Karen have the ability to manage Parkinson's a little bit easier.  Ron has the top of the line wheelchair that allows him the freedom to move about with the control of his mouth.  They were able to build in tracking on the ceiling so that he can be moved around the multiple level home, can get in and out of bed and in and out of the bathroom as needed.  Now, he may not be able to do everything by himself, but Karen is able to do most things with him because of all of the assistance in their home.  They have a physical therapist that comes to the home and helps out as needed.  My nieces went over to visit him this trip and they talked about the computer he has.  He is able to type and communicate through some contraption in his glasses.  Amazing how much convenience and options can be bought.

Those are the things that you can buy.  Imagine for a second what it must be like when you don't have that caliber of resources?  Can you just imagine if you were not only physically helping but also wondering how you were going to pay for your next medical bill?  Or from his perspective, can you imagine how hopeless it might feel if you are no longer able to contribute to anything?  Our minds are extremely powerful.  I'm willing to bet that he would be deteriorating not just physically, but also mentally.  I'm willing to bet that his quality of life will have disappeared so much faster.  Instead, his grandchildren are still able to enjoy who he is.  He is still sharp as a whip.  Those are things that money can't buy... but because of the things money has bought... they are able to enjoy life.  That is priceless.

I know I don't know much about their lives.  I know it can't be any less excruciating to see your loved one deteriorate over time.  But, I'm sure you can see how having the ability to make choices according to need instead of available resources is beyond powerful.  You can't always control the things that happen to you, but you can certainly control the way you respond to them.  And, if you are willing to work while you can, when there is an obstacle that keeps you from working, your investment in your future will kick in.  I don't know about you, but it makes me look at money from a totally different perspective.  You don't need money to be happy -- happiness is an inside job - it's a choice that costs nothing.  Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does by choices!

How Bad Do You Want It?

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you couldn't stop thinking about it?   I'm talkin' no matter what obstacle came your way you just KNEW you would do whatever it took to make it happen? On Saturday morning, as we were getting packed up and ready to leave the lake, and after Nina escaped for the umpteenth time, I decided I had to bump today's original blog topic until tomorrow to cover the topic of Victory is the only option.  I'm not talking about just if it happens, great.... or as long as it's convenient... or as long as I don't have to do anything scary.  I'm talking about Even if it means expanding my comfort zone & getting uncomfortable!  


We were at the lake for 2 weeks and about 4 or 5 days ago our dog, Nina, discovered gophers.  She and her buddy Roxy (my mother-in-law's dachshund puppy) found several gopher holes that they would dig up and then they would just sit and wait.  Now up until 5 days ago, Nina was perfectly happy chasing minnows along the shoreline and retrieving any ball you would throw into the water.  She was off leash and would remain within about 20 feet of the shoreline just waiting for any of the 30 or so people to throw the ball.  She didn't try to venture off anywhere else for fear of missing just one throw... until the gophers.

Nina & Roxy

I love that she wants to chase down and scare off the gophers, the problem is the gophers were on the front side of the house where no one was watching her....where there were cars...where there were any number of neighbors or kids that she could be bothering...therefore it really wasn't ok.  However, Nina would never accept no for an answer because she wanted it that badly.  With each day we would discover yet another door in the house that she had figured out how to open!  There was the front door that, every once in a while, would get left unlatched...the door to the garage would also not always latch if you didn't intentionally shut it... there are 2 screen doors on the porch... there's a door that leads to the lake from the basement.  As I count it now in my head, there are actually 6 possible doors that she could use and although we would block them most of the time she would always find that exception. 

When you want something badly enough, you are willing to accept that your window of opportunity may not be open all the time, but as soon as it is, you are prepared to take it.

So, we'd be going about doing whatever we were all doing until someone would say... wait.  Where's Nina?  That dog is so quiet and sneaky...she knew that her decision wouldn't be popular so she didn't share her intentions with those who wouldn't align with her goal -- that's funny right?

Stop sharing your dream with the people who just constantly shoot you down!  Seek out those who are aligned with your dreams! 

What about the consequences?  I know that Nina could hear us yelling for her and even when she could see us out there she would just ignore us.  Our dog is very smart and I swear she looks at who is yelling...weighs the consequences... and then decides just how quickly she'll return.  It's like she's thinking...I may get a time out or a little swat but it will totally be worth it!

You may have to give up watching TV, spending extra time with your family, or maybe a little bit of free time TEMPORARILY, but the question to ask yourself is...will my victory be worth it?  It's not the big decisions that keep us from our dreams, it's the small, every day decisions that add up and keep us from victory. 

I wish I had a picture of Nina when she would finally get brought back into the house.  Every time, she would be covered in dirt from her nose to her collar - that's how deep her head would be in those gopher holes!  She would walk into that house with no remorse, just that inside smile knowing that she was victorious and she couldn't wait until that next window of opportunity opened...

Where is your focus?

In case you were wondering, I am still on-track with my P90X workouts!  It's now been 61 days (holy cow!) and I have to admit it's been much more challenging to stay on-track while on vacation here at the lake.  I did miss 1 day, but I'm counting that as one of the "Rest" days you get once a week and I'll make-up for it this Sunday by skipping this week's "Rest" day.

This isn't the topic today, but here's a question... when you get off-track for an hour, a day, or a week... do you let yourself off the hook and tell yourself you'll just wait until the next day, week, or month?  Or do you keep on going regardless of getting off-track temporarily?  Everyone has an off-day, but how does it benefit you to make that off-day into an off-month?  Not at all! 

Ok, so today's topic is "Where is your focus?".  This morning's workout was Yoga X - which by the way is definitely not my favorite workout - and there's this one part where he tells you to.... "reach your hands to the sky and get up on your tippy toes".  Take a second and do that right now... stand tall, reach your hands to the sky and get up on your tippy toes.. and hold it there for 10 seconds....

Are you back?  What did you find?  I don't know about you but I kept on losing my balance and falling back onto my heels.  On the DVD he says...don't focus on your toes down below...focus on your hands in the air!

In other words, focus on where you want to be instead of focusing on where you don't want to be!  The bottom line is that you always get more of what you focus on.  If I tell you to look around the room and ignore anything that is the color green right now what do you think you'll see all over the place?  :)  Yup, you'll wonder where all these green items came from!

So, in your business, what are you focused on?  Are you thinking about all the voice mails you'll get when making phone calls?  Or are you thinking about how many excited women will be on the other line when you make that phone call?  Are you focused on all those people that are in a recession right now?  Or are you focused on how many women are still buying skin care & cosmetics despite having to cut back on other things? 

You have the power to direct your path simply by choosing what to focus on in your mind.  Are you focused on how high your hands are going?  Or are you focused on why you keep losing balance in your toes?  I dare you to focus on how amazing your future will be... 2 hours from now... 2 days from now... 2 weeks from now... 2 years from now!

Pay It Forward!

Along with all the tubing last week was time for some of the kids to learn how to water ski.  It’s one of those things that looks easy enough until you’re in the water just trying to keep your feet from splitting apart!  No matter how much you explain…keep your arms straight, don’t pull back, let the boat pull you up, keep crouched down until you get your skis balanced and up on the water, keep your legs together…you can do it!...none of it really means a thing until you are the one in the water with the skis on your feet!  It would take 2 minutes to get the skis on and the rope in the right place… and then a split second for the boat to rev up to pull you before getting dumped back in the water…and over and over and over again!  The kids would get tired just getting themselves reset only to get knocked down again.  Some were able to stand up after a couple of tries and a few never did…yet…but there’s always next time!

After a couple hours of doing little donuts, I asked Uncle Brad…. you must be tired of doing nothing but revving up and doing donuts!  Thanks for being so patient!  You know what his response was?  “I remember 30 years ago when someone else was pulling the boat waiting patiently for me to figure out how to stand up!”  It was his way of saying… I’m just paying it forward!  It’s easy to have patience for others when you know that others were patient for you at some point.

There are all kinds of stories of when people would meet Mary Kay...they’d have all kinds of things ready to say and then when the time would actually come all that would ever come blubbering out is…”Thank you Mary Kay!”  Her response was always “just pass it on”!  Really there are 2 perspectives on this…

1)      Be grateful – take the time to be aware of all the people around you who are taking the time to mentor you… to be patient with you…to teach you… to choose to spend time with you.  The greatest gift someone can give you is their love & time and yet, those are gifts that are both immeasurable and priceless.  They are definitely gifts that are often overlooked.

2)      Pay it forward – every chance you get, take the time to give someone else a leg up.  You may be new at what you do, but I guarantee, there is always someone younger and/or newer than you are.  It doesn’t take very much effort to make someone else feel welcome or to reassure another person.  Remember that no matter how much further you have to go, there is always someone who would be grateful to be where you currently are or to achieve what you have already achieved.  Make an effort to remember how much of a difference a kind word made to you and repay that kindness by offering it to someone else.

In Mary Kay, we are not “go-getters”, we are “go-givers”.  There is no limit to the amount of love in your heart so don’t be afraid to give it away.  I dare you to be a blessing in other peoples’ lives every single day… I know you’ll find that you’ll be blessed in the process.  Learning new things is inspirational, using it gives you experience and teaching it to someone else develops wisdom.

None of us makes it to the top without the help of others.  Take time today to thank those who have given you a leg up and then turn around and give that person the greatest gift… pay it forward!

The 10 Keys to Tubing – Part 2

Isn’t it amazing how much you can learn from something so fun?  I once heard someone say that college graduation is not the end of your education, in fact it’s just the beginning.  Your diploma is proof that you have learned…how to learn.  Think about it. 

Math class is about learning the basics so that when you need to use it in a practical manner you know what to do (although I still don’t know why calculus is required J).  English classes teach you how to appreciate reading classics, book reports teach you how to understand what you’re reading, and grammar teaches you how to text properly (just kidding). 

And what about sports?  It may not apply directly to your every day life each time, but it certainly teaches you how to work with other people – as a team, teaches you how to both lead & follow… it teaches you how to start from scratch and go from no skills to expertise through repetition and breaking things down.

So let’s get back to that sport called Tubing!  What else can we learn from something so fun….?

5)                  What does it take to make you wipe out?  We talked yesterday about how tubing definitely has some sharp turns, but just how long are you willing to hang on?   Do you let go at the first wave?  Or do you hang on through the bumps long enough to get to the fun?

I know that in mountain biking, the only way to get to that fun downhill run is to climb to the top.  I’m not a big fan of that climbing thing but I do think it’s worth it to get to the downhill.  Just how many “no’s” are you willing to hear before you give up on your dream?  Have you told yourself that you’ll try just until the end of the month?  Or maybe you’ve said “I’ll give it a year”.  Just how much time is your dream worth working for?  The question is…are you willing to hang on through all the waves until…whatever it takes?  The best ride could be just around the corner and you’ll never know if you give up too soon.

6)                  Know when to let go!  So I know I just told you to never give up but this is not about giving up.  Here’s the deal… sometimes when you’re out tubing?  Those g-forces are so strong… and you COULD hang on, but even if you did you would probably get dragged along to the point of exhaustion… and then where would the fun be?!  Sometimes, you have to just let go of the handles so that the boat can stop and you can regroup.

As the saying goes… insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!  If you’re ever at a point where you are doing all the right activity and not getting the results you want, the best thing to do is to pause for a minute and evaluate.  Have you ever had a string of bookings that never hold?  Have you ever held a whole bunch of skin care parties that resulted in no sales?  If so, maybe it’s time to let go of the handles just for a minute so that you can regroup!  Maybe there’s a skill you need to improve or maybe you’re just missing a step.  Take a look at your system and ask yourself where the breakdown is… better yet, contact your watcher and communicate…slow down for a minute!  J  It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help, in fact it’s a sign of courage.

7)                  Don’t forget to refuel!  Obviously the boat won’t go without gas…but neither will you without the proper “fuel”!  For a whole bunch of days in a row, my nieces & nephew were staying up until midnight watching movies… and I remember this one particular morning where they floated in on the pontoon to go fishing with everyone still half-asleep!  What happens when we don’t get enough sleep or refuel with food?  We have a lot less energy the next day to get anything done – including have fun!  It’s kinda hard to want to go tubing let alone have the energy to hang on when you are outta gas! 

I don’t know anyone who isn’t busy these days do you?  With all the running around that we do for everyone else, sometimes we don’t take time out to take care of ourselves.  The truth is, we’re useless for everyone else if we aren’t taking time out to re-energize on a daily basis.  Sometimes all it takes is one good night of sleep… or one day at the spa… or an afternoon nap to refuel us for a long time!  Did you know that we were actually designed to take an afternoon nap?  Those of you with kids probably remember how much of a difference that early afternoon nap made for your sanity with your kids when they were young right? 

 

8)                  Get in the water!  There’s really no way to explain how much fun it is to tube unless you just get in the water and try it!  All this theory is great, but you don’t really know if you’ll know what to do until you actually try it.  One of the sessions, one of the younger kids backed out of tubing – she just wasn’t sure if she was ready yet.  And, if no one else went, then my niece wouldn’t have gone by herself…. So guess who got in the water with them?  Yup – that would be me!  And holy cow!  As much fun as it is, it’s not as easy as I remembered it to be!  I’m pretty sure that we weren’t even going “extreme tubing” and I was hanging on pretty tight… shifting my weight…all of it. 

You can watch someone else conduct a skin care party all day long, but until you get behind the tube and actually do it, you won’t even know what you don’t know.  You won’t know what it feels like, you won’t know how to get into a rhythm, you won’t know if you know how to answer all the questions… until you just get into the water! 

9)                  Hold on tight but don’t forget to have fun!  All of this theory can definitely make you second guess yourself ya know?  Am I communicating enough?  Am I shifting correctly?  Should I let go and regroup?  All that worry can take the fun right out of it right?  Take in all the theory and then trust that you’ll figure it out over time.

Sometimes all of the thinking turns into over-analyzing which then just paralyzes us.  Paralysis prevents us from getting out there and just having fun.  Let’s face it, if it’s not fun, your clients won’t think it’s fun either and I promise they won’t want to be around you again.  Don’t get so caught up in making everything perfect.  Over time, you’ll learn the words.  Through your own experience, you’ll get to know the products and what they do.  Be prepared, but then just go out and have some fun!

10)              Wear your life jacket.  No one goes tubing without a life jacket, and anyone swimming past the dock should have one on too.  It certainly isn’t because they don’t know how to swim – in fact all of my nieces and nephew have been here at the lake every single year even before they could walk.  It’s not about ability, it’s about what happens when you get tired… when you get thrown off a tube with force, or if something happens and you get knocked under the water.  It’s comforting to know that your life jacket is there for you no matter what happens… all you have to do is wear it.

What is your life jacket when you’re not in the water?  Who do you lean on when you’re tired and weary and don’t know what to do?  How do you keep your spirits high and stay inspired?  When you’re mind is not in the right place anything can pull you under!  For me it’s 4 things… reading great books and articles… listening to inspiring cd’s… being around people that lift me up… and last but certainly not least God time.  There is no one more dependable who will never let you down than Him.  In celebration and in times of rejection He is with you.  No matter how many times you get pulled under the water, He will be there. 

Well?  Never thought you’d learn so much from tubing huh?  I know I didn’t.  Take a minute to look around at your everyday ordinary life and I’m willing to bet that inspiration and education is all around you.  Make it a great day and we’ll see you tomorrow!

The 10 Keys of Tubing – Part 1

In case you can’t tell, I’ve been maintaining radio silence on our blog for the last week.  We are on vacation at the lake house in Michigan where my husband grew up and we have literally been on the go continuously for over a week!  In fact, I still haven’t cracked open a book!

The weather has been amazing and we have been outside fishing, tubing, water skiing and more every single day until yesterday.  And no, it hasn’t just been me & my hubby… At the height of the last week we had 2 speedboats going with 15 kids between the ages of 7 & 13 along with all the parents… all in all around 30 people!  For the next few days, you’ll get some pretty fun inspiration from my vacation…you see, there is motivation & inspiration literally in EVERYTHING you do in life, but you’ll only be affected by it if you are looking for it.  Are you on a constant quest to grow?  I know I am!

Today’s inspiration?  The First 5 Keys (of 10) of Tubing.  In case you don’t know what tubing is, we tie an inflatable to the back of the speedboat and kids – big & small – hang on for dear life while we whip around the lake!  From all of the laughter it sounds just like they are at Disneyland and somehow, they never get tired of it!  So every single day, Uncle Jim & Uncle Brad gas up the boats and our nieces & nephews and their cousins pile into the boat for at least 3 sessions a day.  It’s insane and so much fun.

As  I was sitting in the back of one of the boats I had an Aha moment…Tubing has lots to teach us!  So here we go…The 10 T’s…

1) Who’s got your back?  Whenever we take a crew out tubing, each boat needs to have “a watcher”.  Since the driver is focusing on where the boat is going, it’s up to the watcher to keep an eye on what’s happening on the tubes especially when someone goes flying off and into the water!  A watcher has your best interest in mind so they keep an eye on the hand signs and make sure everyone is safe and still hanging on. 

In your business and life… do you have a watcher?  For those of you who are aspiring leaders & directors, YOU are the watcher for your people & your sister consultants.  It’s not your job to DO FOR your people, just to help to guide, mentor & encourage them from a short distance.  You watch the signs for when assistance is needed and let your director know when someone goes flying off the tube.  As your unit & area grows, your director is driving the boat and may not always be able to keep an eye on everything happening behind the boat. 

2) Talk to your watcher:  Although your watcher is paying attention to what’s happening, they are not able to feel what you’re feeling or see things from your exact perspective.  The only way to make sure you are getting what you need is to communicate with your watcher.  In tubing, the kids use hand signals…thumbs up means go faster…thumb down means slow down…making an “S” movement with your hands means make an S-curve…sweeping the hand across your neck means “stop!”…2 left fingers up and 4 moving right fingers up means “we’re too close to the weeds!”. 

If there are no hand signals there is no way for your watcher to know what’s happening.  There is nothing worse than being uncomfortable and scared, but if you don’t communicate that to someone who can do something about it then nothing can possibly change!  This certainly applies to both life & your business right?  There is no such thing as a wrong question or inquiry.  The key is to communicate to someone who can do something about it.  You can complain all you want to your friend sitting on the same tube but he/she can’t change anything!

3) Shift your weight!  As you might imagine, whenever the boat makes a sharp turn the tubes go flying from one side of the wake to the other and if you allow the turn to pull your weight into the turn your tube will most definitely flip over and dump you into the water with some serious force!  How do you remedy that?  You shift your weight against the turn.  Once your weight is shifted it helps you to manage the turn much easier.

Life and business can certainly throw you some sharp turns…sometimes you can see them coming and other times they catch you off-guard right?  The question is, do you know how to “shift your weight” and more importantly, are you willing to do so?  When life throws you sharp turns – and it will – do you know how to offset the turn?  What do you need to do when your appointments postpone or you get a bunch of “no’s” in a row?  You can certainly allow the turn to throw you off your tube… or you can shift your weight and adjust.

4) Who will you ride with?  I watched one particular group of cousins on a tube who were most definitely mismatched.  This one constantly wanted it faster, that one wanted to slow down, this one wanted extreme tubing and that one preferred a tame ride.  You can just imagine that it cause discontent on all fronts! 

Having a running buddy makes everything more fun and gives you someone to go through thick and thin with but it’s so important that you both want to go in the same direction!  It’s not just a matter of skill level, it’s also a matter of destination.  The key is that you choose a running buddy with similar skill & goals!  If you run with someone who is not equally yoked, one will always feel behind & the other will always feel like they are pulling the other one up.  Not fun.

5) Comparison will stomp out your fun!  One of my favorite moments this week was when I heard my niece say ”I need a break”.  It takes a confident person to be able to say “I don’t need to do everything you do”.  In this instance, my niece knew that she was uncomfortable riding as fast as the others at that moment.  She was tired and injured and rather than playing the hero, she was willing to be big enough to say I need a break.

Be clear, no one knows your limits better than you do and it can be very tempting to play the comparison game… what will she think if I don’t go fast?  Will I be less than if I admit that I was hurt?  I have to achieve this challenge no matter how I do it.  Not so.  There is no “wrong” speed or “right” goal.  You were designed to be the best YOU that you can be… not the best “her” that you can be!  Be confident in what it is that you desire and be willing to stay the course no matter what anyone else says.

Whoo!  Take a moment to allow the first 5 Keys to sink in and think about how it truly can apply to your everyday life as well as your business.  There is so much wisdom all around us and it’s even more fun when you can actually apply it!  Tune in tomorrow for the next 5 keys to Tubing!

Talent isn't everything, it's only a start.

Mary Kay said "Those who are blessed with the most talent don't necessarily outperform everyone else. It's the people with follow-through who excel."  Sometimes we think that we must be born with "it" or else forget about it.  The truth is having the talent is only the beginning -- it is NOT a guarantee that you will be successful.

When you have a little talent...
Last night we had the privilege of watching my nieces in their annual dance recital.  They are 10 & 12 years old... but you would be so impressed with how amazing they are!  Now the younger one, Maddie, has rhythm and can move but has never really been passionate about dancing.  But, she has stuck with it over the last 4 or 5 years and finally found that Hip Hop makes her happy.  Never have I ever seen her leave it out on the table and totally get into her dance than last night especially in her hip hop piece to the song Respect.  Yes, you know the one -- how can you not get into that?!  Her true talent is in art, but she has taken her little bit of talent and maximized it by continuing to follow-through on her classes.

When you have a lot of talent...
My other niece, Shania, was born to dance!  Last night she performed for the first time on pointe - you know - those ballet shoes where you are literally on the tips of your toes?  She was the only 12 year old on pointe AND she did all that as a soloist!  When she dances she floats through the air effortlessly and gracefully.  Her dance classmates have always been 4 or 5 years older than her -- clearly she is an example of someone who was born with that talent.  However, she works hard.  She is in classes 3 or 4 days a week and is constantly practicing.  Her progress just over the last year was clearly astronomical.  You see, talent that is not worked on will never really be realized.  It's truly the follow-through that makes the biggest difference.

So, how does this relate to your business?  Some of you are talented.  Your words flow effortlessly with just a little bit of practice.  You understand how your business works and you absolutely love every part of your business.  For you, it is almost more important to work hard in order to make that same astronomical progress from year to year.  The minute you take your talent for granted, that's when you plateau and become stagnant.

Some of you feel less confident with your skills.  Things don't necessarily come so easily to you and you may have a bigger learning curve.  But you are passionate about what your business can do.  I will tell you that I personally fall in this second group.  I absolutely love working with women and making sure they know just how great they are.  But the skills of our business require my dedication and determination to be as smooth as some of the natuarlly talented.  Either way, practice & consistency is key.  Don't give up.  Keep on going. 

If you know deep down that there is something about your business that feeds your soul, you owe it to yourself and to the women in your future to keep on going.  You will figure out which part of your business you are most passionate about.

Lastly, our "Grandma" National Sales Director, Jan Harris once relayed this story.  First know that Jan's area has been #1 in our Pearl Seminar at least for as long as I have been in Mary Kay.  She typically makes $40 or 50,000 each month these days.  A woman was telling her that she ran into "Jane" who used to be in Mary Kay and knew Jan (key words "used to be").  Jane said "I know Jan, I was a much more talented consultant that she was".  The woman relaying the story to Jan was sharing it because she was appalled by Jane's comment!  Jan looked at her friend and said, I remember Jane... and she's right, she was way more talented than I ever was as a consultant.  The difference is that I stuck with it and worked it out... and she didn't. 

You don't have to be the most talented in order to be successful, you just have to be willing to NOT QUIT.  So remember...talent isn't everything, it's only a start.

Want an amazing (and true) inspirational movie relating to this very subject?  Go watch Rudy.  Whether you've seen it or not, it will truly inspire you all over again!  I know it does it for me!

Time is like money in a bank...

Have you ever thought about how powerful time is?  These last 2 days (yes in the middle of a work week), I was blessed to spend time with my husband and 2 nieces.  We played games, went to the San Diego Fair and watched a movie.  Yes, it is the last week of our fiscal year and we do have goals to reach by June 30th.  But somehow, when I was with them, I wasn't looking at my watch.  Do you know why?  I planned for the time.  Ahead of when they arrived, I made a decision to plan 3 focused & effective hours each day to keep my business moving so that when we were doing something I could be 100% present to that moment. 

We don't always know what distraction (good or bad) will come up and when, but we can certainly maximize each day so that when they come, it doesn't have to mean that there is no productivity in your business.  One of the greatest challenges of owning your own business is sometimes having that feeling that you should be doing more.  That is the brilliance of having a goal and a plan in place!  When you know what you need to do when you need to do it (and you actually do it), you'll be able to rest easy when you are taking time away from your business!

I want to leave you today with this inspirational piece about time that I found...

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400.

It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!

Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.

It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow."

You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.

To realize the value of ONE-SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!

Time is like money in a bank...now go make some serious deposits into your account!