Freedom On Toast

I have to admit, as I sat on my couch on Sunday and watched the first snowflakes of the year fall, I thought - UGH! I was a bit mopey and not at all excited to see my once favorite white playmates. When I was younger there was NOTHING better than snow. You couldn’t force me to stay inside. Then something predictable happened - I aged.

The snow no longer held fantasies of ski jumps (or ski falls), of wild sled trips down “killer hill”, or my best chance to nail the cute boy with a snowball. Now it means crappy driving, lots of shoveling and worse yet - cold. How dare my friend turn on me like that! Or wait - perhaps I had turned on my friend. Yes, I believe that is it.

So with a great deal of resolve - and let me tell you, I mean a GREAT deal resolve - I have decided to embrace my old friend this year. Now granted, it’s October which means I have several month ahead of embracing my old friend which no doubt will test my commitment. But winter can be fun and there is probably no place - at least in the US - that embraces winter quite like the Cities. We have whole festivals (outside mind you) dedicated to winter. Heck, we even crown Klondike Kate! And the ice sculptures are incredible. See, I CAN think positively about winter. I CAN change my attitude.

The same principles apply in business. Sometimes it feels like “winter” is ahead of us and we have to commit to hanging on for dear life. My friend calls that “hanging on by your toenails.” Brings an interesting image to mind doesn’t it? At any rate, you get the idea. But what DOES make it easier is our attitude. I could go into winter with dread and nausea at what’s ahead but honestly what does that get me but anxiety and…well…dread. So I am NOT going there. Same with business. Buck up, plug along and before you know it, the flowers are blooming and you are feeling GREAT about making it unscathed through another winter.

So while the politicians espouse the gloom and doom that is to come for individuals and businesses alike, I am not buying into that. I am choosing to have a hopeful and optimistic attitude and am looking forward to an invigorating season.

Enjoy your own snowflakes!

See? They ARE lovely!

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s that time to pull out all the stops. Express yourself. Have fun. Scare some people (because you can!)

But alas, that means coming up with the ever challenging costume. No fear, I have found the perfect site to help you out. Take a short quiz and find out exactly which character you should arrive at the party dressed as. Or you could just stay home and hand out candy. BORING! Here’s the site to help you with your costume - specifically geared to match your unique personality (yeah right - but who cares - it’s fun anyway.) http://quiz.ivillage.com/home/tests/halloween.htm

Now I have to admit, my list is more than a little scary. Trust me, French Maid I’m not. And even more curious is how Hilary Clinton and the French Maid landed on the same list but hey who am I to analyze? So here are my options. Hmmm. Such decisions.

• Hilary Clinton (How do you actually dress up like Hilary? What does that mean?)
  
• French Maid (Um, that’s not a pretty picture.)
  
• Belly Dancer (Ditto.)
  
• Sexy Devil (Ditto. Geez, how DID I answer those questions?)
  
• Cruella DeVille (Love dogs too much to be Cruella.)
  
• Goddess (Oh yeah, that’s me!)
  
• Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Okay, I could be a tough chick and save the world.)
  
• Marilyn Monroe (Who’s she? I’m KIDDING!)
  

Well, it seems I will be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I can handle this role. I’ll be all BAD and save the world from evil. Yeah, I can do that!

Now that I have helped solve your (potentially) greatest dilemma of the week, let me know who YOUR character is.

Happy Haunting!

I know some people bellieve the Law of Attraction takes God out of the picture.  But if you have ever studied James Arthur Ray and other noted leaders, you know that isn’t necessarily the case.  I, myself, absolutely believe in the Law of Attraction.  I have seen it over and over again in my life and LOVE when I can say, “I made that happen.”  I’ll post more stories about that later, but I have a great one to share today.

My daughter, bless her heart, started a fire in our microwave.  Completely freaked her out while my husband and I shrugged it off as a learning experience.  Well she has felt terrible about this and has been wanting to replace the microwave.  Again, my husband and I shrugged it off and figured we would pick one up on sale during the holiday season.

Jump forward 3 or so weeks - she is sitting in her church class and they always start by saying a community prayer and asking God for what they want.  Well, these are teenagers so their thinking is relatively advanced.  Some kids KNOW you “shouldn’t” ask for your own self (bad recommendation by the way) so they ask for worldly things.  The group starts going around, one asks for world peace, one asks to provide enough food for the starving, one asks for shelter for the homeless…you get the idea.  All GREAT requests, don’t get me wrong.  Maybe if the whole world asked for these things we would be in a better place.  Here comes my daughter, bless her heart, she asks for a microwave and a water heater (she knows ours is leaking.)  How she knows these things is a bit of a mystery and a reminder to be careful about what I say or leave around.  The prayer stops.  The leader - who is, by the way, the closest thing to an angel living here on earth - says, “your prayer has been answered.  I have a microwave you can have for free.  It’s pretty new but I just don’t need it.”  You can imagine the other kids wondering why world peace hasn’t been granted!  But you see, I know my daughter well enough and the law of attraction has almost literally (note I say almost) been pounded into her head.  I KNOW she has been putting that out to the world or God or whomever you want to believe the great Genie of the world is and so she attracted a microwave.

We picked the microwave up last night.  Works like a charm.  And her wonderful class teacher noted, “next time she is asking God for something in her prayers, she might want to ask for the winning lottery numbers.”  I agreed and made a note to speak with her about this.  But her world is back in harmony.  Maybe the WHOLE world isn’t in harmony, but she feels she has “fixed” what needed to be fixed in her life.  A valuable lesson learned, no doubt.

So next time you are in need of something, put that thought out into the world, take action (in her case her action was as simple as asking) and watch God, the world or the magic Genie reply.

This is such a great little movie that I just had to share.  I hope you are awed and inspired to find your own greatness.  Enjoy!

http://www.natureofsuccessmovie.com/

But one of the things we don’t have - at least not on a weekly basis - is GUTS. We give that up - or at least some of it up - when we hit adulthood. And some of it isn’t our fault. Many of us have been programmed to “be responsible.” We’ve been conditioned to “make good decisions.” It has been ingrained in us to “follow the rules.” But kids still have the luxury of not having to always be responsible. Of not having to (or not having the ability yet to) make good decisions. They may follow the rules but the boundaries are a little more bendable - at least in their minds.

How do I know this? My daughter is in a circus arts program where she has several classes a week. No, I am not hoping she will “run off with the circus” but it has been an incredible opportunity for her to build her self-esteem, develop some great relationships with people from all over the world, and perhaps most importantly, have some GUTS. Caution though - don’t ask her if she is a clown - she doesn’t take that very well! I know what you are thinking, “isn’t that cute, she plays circus.” Oh no. These kids are extremely talented and that’s not just me, the Mom, talking. They have performed on the biggest stages in the Twin Cities, have performed opening acts for Cirque du Soleil and are asked to attend a festival in Italy every year. These kids are GOOD. No, these kids are GREAT! If you would like to check it out, you can visit www.CircusJuventas.org You will be impressed.

But back to GUTS. As I write this my daughter is suspended 40 feet in the air and is doing aerial tricks on a bungee trapeze. Her class next hour? You guessed it - flying trapeze. But what I have seen in many of the kids who attend this program is that they have GUTS. They are asked to do things that are not only physically challenging but more importantly, mentally challenging. They are required to “step up to the plate” and “just do it.” I can say with all honesty that there have been more than a few times where I have lacked GUTS even as I watched my child fall 35 feet down head first. And yes, I do still close my eyes sometimes.

So why do GUTS matter? If you are going succeed in business - and perhaps in most areas of life - it REQUIRES guts. And here’s the predictable outcome. Those that have guts, can step up to the plate and just do it will be successful. Yes, there will be disappointments. Yes there will be failures. But there WILL be successes too. Think about the great inventors of the world. Do you think Henry Ford paused in his shed as he built his first car and said, “gee, maybe I shouldn’t do this because it might not work.” I don’t think so. He had guts. We all know Thomas Edison invented electricity but did you know he lost millions in the steel industry when he tried to “save” it’s stuggeling future? Do you think he said, “gee, I have invented electricity so I can just sit back now.” Not a chance. Their successes and failures required GUTS. And so does any business.

So next time you are stuggeling with your own GUTS, give yourself the option to come fly on the trapeze and see which option you select.

You can’t ask for what you want unless you know what it is. A lot of people don’t know what they want or they want much less than they deserve. First you have figure out what you want. Second, you have to decide that you deserve it. Third, you have to believe you can get it. And, fourth, you have to have the guts to ask for it.” Barbara de Angelis

Kids will tell you they hear this all the time, “just say no.”  Say no to drugs.  Say no to sex.  Say no to anything that will be harmful to you or that will make your parents unhappy.   Just say no.

No is not a word you hear in business very often.  We strive to provide superior customer service.  We strive to provide superior leadership.  We strive to wear many hats at once.  But sometimes we should say no - both for our sanity and maybe for the other person’s sanity as well.

I had someone interested in the business email me last night.  She had requested information - which presumably means she is considering the business.  She then immediately emailed stating she didn’t want me to call as she didn’t want to speak with me.  And if this BUSINESS costs anything (more on that later) then don’t bother at all.  Hmmm.

Well, off the top of my head I can only think of one business which might not cost any money but certainly has other - more serious costs - and that’s prostitution.  Maybe I am missing something.  Certainly your standard brick and mortar business costs - and alot at that.  Even a consulting business would cost as you would need written materials to send to prospective clients.  Franchise?  That’s obviously out.  I just can’t think of any legal business that would be free.  And sadly, what people forget, is that while there is an investement involved in ANY business, the goal of ANY business is to MAKE MONEY.  MAKE MONEY.  If you don’t believe that then you shouldn’t be in business.

One of the misconceptions in Network Marketing is that we will “take anybody” because that’s how we get paid.  So people sometimes think there is no criteria.  Not true.  At least not true for me.  The beauty of this business is that it is based on relationships.  We NETWORK.  We work together.  No, I am not the boss but I will be there to mentor and support.  But there are responsibilities on the other end as well.  And no, we don’t have to take everyone into our teams.  In fact, sometimes we just need to say no.

And so was the case this morning when I emailed this woman back.  I didn’t tell her to go find that free business but I did tell her that I didn’t think this business would be a good fit for her.  That this business is based on relationships and she needed to know what she could expect from me as much as I needed to know what her goals were if I were going to be helpful to her.  And so, I said no.   And, in this particular case, it felt good.

So as you build your business, just know that it’s okay to “just say no.”

I have to say, if there were only one GREAT thing about Network Marketing it would be the team. Yes, the checks are nice. Yes, the products are awesome. But the real benefit in Network Marketing is the relationships that develop. I am so totally blessed to be surrounded by incredible people whether they are in my upline, downline or crossline. But it’s really my downline that inspires me more than they will ever realize.

Are you teary yet? Well you SHOULD be. If you don’t have a team yet, well, get one and love them for who they are. Each team member brings unique personalities and talents and together makes us a much stronger and diverse team. I hate this acronym but it’s true. TEAM - together we achieve more (plus whoever invented this didn’t get the E right.) Let’s make our own acronym up. TEAM - Tremendous Energy, Acts and Mastery. At least it’s not so cheesy. Or maybe that’s just my ego defending me.

I recently heard someone who was considering the business state they didn’t believe they would be successful because they weren’t part of the “elite” group. This word alone has brought about a great deal a chatter about what constitutes “elite.” You see, the leaders on my team are a diverse group (and I use the word diverse more from a belief and experience standpoint rather than a racial standpoint) but I wouldn’t call them “elite.” I have leaders who hold highly skilled professional jobs. I have leaders who need a bailout similar to the one the banks received. I have leaders whose families make the Cleavers look like sinners. And leaders who make the Corleone’s look like the Cleavers. Okay, maybe not that bad but I thought it sounded good so I am leaving it - and who knows what the future holds? Yes this “elite” group of leaders does what it takes to build their business, move toward their dream and help others move toward their ideal lives as well. Elite? No. Focused, determined, persistent, consistent - yes. But elite? No.

But my point is, I love them all. And I can’t imagine life without them. Now don’t get me wrong, some I rarely talk to but I still know their strengths and weaknesses and value what they bring to the team as a whole.

It’s almost time for a promotion and I know how the drill goes. I get the congrats and the emails but it’s not me who deserves the accolades. It’s the team. THEY move us forward. THEY challenge me. To improve. To learn. To do. I hope, in turn, I help them grow as well.

I don’t know about you, but I think there should be a law that says everyone should just be nice. Nice is such a …nice thing! I saw a bumper sticker once that said, “Mean people suck.” Nicely put if you ask me.

Sometimes we are so used to not nice that when nice happens it throws us for a loop. You know you have been exposed to way to many not nice things when nice seems odd.

I have a great example of this. A few years ago when I was working in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in the Victim Witness Unit. I had been working on a particularly not nice case. As all my cases were child physical and sexual abuse, kids who witnessed domestic violence or homicide cases the reality was I really didn’t have any nice cases. But as with all things - there are varying degrees of yuck. So one day, I go to grab coffee before commuting in and as I stood in line, a woman I had never seen before turned around, smiled at me and said, “hi.” Okay, not so unusual. Then after she received her coffee, she again turned to me and said, “have a nice day.” This is the exact point in my life that I realized I needed more nice in my life. Why you ask? Because my EXACT reaction (which thankfully I didn’t voice or I am certain I would still be locked up in a padded cell) was, “poor lady, she must be mentally ill.” I did instantly realize that if there were mental health issues in the room they probably weren’t hers. WHOA. Time to step back and find nice.

Now it’s a fact that nice is not always easy to find. If you have been watching the political ads you know this to be true. One is a liar, another a cheat. Someone has “bad” friends. Blah, blah, blah. All in all it’s not only NOT nice it’s not all that informative. But I digress.

So are you looking for nice in your life? Haven’t had a “mentally ill” woman wish you well lately? Then I suggest you create your own nice. You see, it’s more contagious than a nasty case of the flu. Try it! You might just get labeled “mentally ill” but at least you will feel happy about adding more nice to the world.

I think it is a requirement that all Network Mareketers be dreamers.  It’s just part of the “job” description.  In fact, it’s a mandatory component.  I have NO problem with this.  I have pictures of my next cars, next vacation spots, next homes, great family adventures, etc.  But one of the hardest parts of the “big dream” for me was where would I live or own property if money were no object?

The obvious comes to mind - Hawaii, Tuscany, Southern France, Utah Mountains, any tropical island (yes, I did see what property and even my own island would cost me) and virtually anywhere that is moderately nice.  I just LOVE to travel.

But seriously, where would you live or own property?  There is a fun online tool to help you discover your ideal spot in the world.  You can find it at:  http://www.findyourspot.com/

So where could I end up?  Well my top five picks (selected for me based on my responses) are:

1.  Portland, OR
2.  Hartford, CT
3.  Providence, RI
4.  New Haven, CT
5.  Boston, MA

Now the funny thing is - there are no tropical beaches in these locations!  Hmmm.  But they must meet my other “qualification” to be on my top five.  I have never been to any of these locations and have only seen very limited parts of the NE. 

Well, off to another adventure!  I guess I know where I should be travelling anyway!  Ah…the freedom of having your own home business and being able to travel whenever and wherever you want.  Life is good!

One of the biggest complaints I get from both people who are considering a Network Marketing Business as well as those who have started is that they don’t have enough time.  That’s not true - we all have the same number of hours in a day.  But we all choose to use them differently so some feel like they have plenty of time while others run around with their heads cut off.  It is all about priorities.  What are your priorities?  Are you giving your priorities enough time?  Or are you taking care of so many putsy tasks that pretty soon you don’t have time for the important stuff?

Micheal Clouse  wrote a GREAT article on  time.  It is really quite interesting and I hope you enjoy it!  Happy Monday!

Overcome The “No-Time” Syndrome
by Michael S. Clouse

Millions of Network Marketing distributors are building successful part-time business in their spare time. And yet perhaps you’re thinking, “I’d like to, but I just don’t have the time….” There are 168 hours in every single week. Where does the time go? Take a good long look:

So where do the remaining 20 hours typically go? According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than four hours of TV each day (or 28 hours per week, or two months of non-stop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent nine years glued to the tube! How much is the TV habit costing you? $5,000 a year? $10,000 a year? More? Rethinking your TV habit and investing a few extra hours into your own home-based business could make your rich. In other words, you can either watch Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, or you can become one! That, again, is your Future Choice.

So the next time someone says to you, “I’d like to, but I just don’t have the time….” show them the above referenced chart. After all, it appears we all have enough time to do what is truly important.

All the best,

MSC

P.S. The above information, Overcome The “No-Time” Syndrome was reprinted from our newest book, Future Choice. If you would like to know how others are using this book to grow their respective businesses, we have posted just a few of the more than 500 comments we’ve received so far… To read them, click here!

P.P.S. And if you’re looking for a few amazing ways to get back even more of your time, scroll down and check out the life-improving ideas I’ve linked below this article….

© 2006 by Michael S. Clouse. All Rights Reserved.

About the author: In addition to over 50 published articles on the subject of Network Marketing, Michael S. Clouse is the author of numerous books and CD programs on the subject of Network Marketing. An internationally recognized Network Marketing expert, Michael is a well respected business consultant, personal success coach, and a dynamic educational speaker. His weekly newsletter is read by tens of thousands of Network Marketing Professionals around the world.