Hey, I lost my job: update
Filed under: network marketing, overcoming fear, overcoming obstacles, positive attitude, solving problems
You may have read my posts from a few weeks ago (Hey, I’ve been fired! Day 2, Day 3, Week 1, Week 2), about the aftermath of being fired from my job. There have been so many ups and downs along the way, but all in all? Things have been going really, really well.
One of the biggest changes was that my husband and I moved out of our townhouse and into the studio space that I was using as an office, body-work treatment room, meeting room, and art studio. I also canceled some of the financial commitments that have been a significant part of our overhead each month. Our overhead is still about twice my husband’s salary, but the gap gets covered by my network marketing income, and little surprises from the universe that wander into our lives just at the right time.
The extra time each day has been an unbelievable blessing. I know so much about twitter and facebook, blogging, videos for youtube, and next on my list, myspace. Being able to plug into all of these social networks, to learn the ins and outs, and have fun along the way, has brought me to the point where I really get it now. All of the mysterious (what??? why?!?) nuances have cleared away, and everything makes sense now. I would never have tackled all of that while holding down a J.O.B.
I’ve learned a lot about me, too. I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping my spirits up, watching my attitude, moving the energy so as not to get bogged down in a pity party. There have been only a couple of occasions where my husband has had to pat my shoulder, giving me the space to whimper “poor me, poor me”, but even those have been pretty entertaining.
The biggest experiential lesson has been that simpler is better. We fit nicely into this studio space. We have lots of windows. We have everything we need even though we got rid of tons of stuff. We don’t do much cooking, so the teeny kitchen is just the right size. Our cat likes it, because now he doesn’t have to wander back and forth between our former townhouse and my former office/studio. We’re always here in this spot, and he can sleep soundly, guarding his humans and his pint-sized yard. His job has become manageable, too. Life is good.
I’ve learned that if you take away the big financial burden, life can feel safe again. You can start to uncurl, grow, blossom. Peace of mind is a huge reward for keeping a positive attitude, so the lesson is much easier than it used to be.
Taking away the big financial burden also took away the imperative of making this business work! This week! Now!!! Instead, I can nourish its growth at a pace that is truer to who I am and how I interact with people. I have more time to meet people for tea, networking in a way that’s fun rather than scary. I have more time to read all of the training stuff floating around out there. I had enough time to meander down to Anaheim for our quarterly corporate training weekend. It was a glorious week, and I’m looking forward to the next one enthusiastically.
So, if you find yourself in a tight spot, let go of the complexities of life that have become burdensome, and let yourself breathe again. Move somewhere cheaper, and if that means smaller, then hold each object in your hands, close your eyes, and feel whether the object fills you with guilt, pulling you down over things left undone, or lifts your spirits and fills you with delight because you love using this silly thing every day. Get rid of the downers and pack up the uppers. Your new space will be freeing and invigorating. You’ll be able to accomplish miraculous things, in joy and harmony, with a calm heart and a free mind.
Gifts abound.
Tell me 5 things
Filed under: network marketing, solving problems, talking with friends
There are two main secrets to obtaining success in network marketing: work on yourself and keep talking to people. If you haven’t a clue on what you need to work on to improve yourself, a powerful tactic is to ask 10 of your friends to tell you 5 things that you need to work on to make yourself a better person.
You could do this with an email. That approach let’s them take some time to think it through. It also gives both of you a little distance, which helps minimize any awkwardness, for them and for you.
“Tell me 5 things about me that I need to change.” It’s a very simple request, and most people will be honest and won’t mind helping you out. People like to help their friends. People like to see their friends improve themselves, whether it’s financially, socially, or personally. It makes you a better friend, so there’s something in it for them, too.
Now it might be that you read the same things from each friend, repeated 10 times, again and again. It might be that you read 97 different things, because they all see different things, and they didn’t want to stop when they got to #5. Regardless, you’re going to find out where you should start and, with introspection, you’ll have a good idea HOW to start.
AND, by working on yourself, you’ll start to feel more comfortable about talking with other people, new acquaintances as well as old friends, so you’ll be feeding two birds with the same seed. It has the element of leverage, doesn’t it? Leverage helps you get to that successful spot more quickly. So this tactic helps you move forward on several fronts.
See how it all comes together?
Moving On Up… On TO Own Domain & Ready to Continue Forward
Filed under: MLM, make money online, overcoming obstacles, solving problems
I know that in the pass few weeks I have been making a lot of changes, but each is a step in a plan to make my blog, my business and my online presents better and more able to reach people that I know I can help.
I have switched my blogging platform and moved to my own domain. My new site URL is http://createyourownamazingbusiness.com and my template (which was upgraded a few weeks ago) will stay the same but with better plug-in and therefore more capabilities. I am committed to helping people , sharing what I have found works for me, and can work for you as well. I have many big and exciting plans for this blog, many ideas I can not wait to share and information on an opportunity that I know has the possibility to change your life (it is mine).
The one thing that was not able to intergrate like I had wanted was the Google Friend Connect in the right upper conner, so I must kindly ask you to go ahead a refollow if you were already following and if not, the go ahead and follow now.
I want to say that I appreciate my readers patience during this switch over and that I will be back on a regular blogging schedule towards the end of this week. I am also working on integrating an e-mail RSS subscription where you can get my post e-mailed to you, which I know some, like myself, find easier. In the meantime please, subcribed to my RSS where you can choose your READER of preference to get my blog in to save you time.
I have also added an ABOUT page (top navigation bar) where I gave some more information that I had scaled way down on the last blog due to not having an ABOUT page, so be sure to check it out.
Remember that you are each very important to me and that I welcome, in fact I love, your comments…so keep them coming. I am also always willing to set up one on one time to talk with you about the opportunity that I have found that I believe in that I know can change lives. Besides that things will remind the same, I will continue to write articles and post that I hope you find helpful, inspirtaion, uplifting for even just entertaining.
Most of I would like to take this time to just stop and say Thank You!
Joy TO You
Marilyn Holm
createyourownamzingbusiness@gmail.com
I’ve been fired, Day 3
Filed under: MLM, finding new prospects, giving up, network marketing, overcoming fear, overcoming obstacles, perfect business, positive attitude, solving problems, try try again
Day 3 hit me hard. It was a day of anxiety and disappointment, but now that I’m sitting here in Day 4, I can see that it was a reality that I created for myself.
Huh?
What I mean is that I had huge expectations. I envisioned my conference room filled to the brim with 40 people, that they would all enthusiastically fill out the enrollment forms after hearing my brilliant presentation, and that they would each run out and find 5 of their friends for our next meeting and the avalanche would carry us all along to the promised land.
Well, there were less than 40 people, and although the presentation was brilliant, not everyone signed up and rushed out to find their friends. So I slipped into a slump and landed in a great big puddle of fear. My poor husband; he helped me limp along while I gave in to despair and waited until there was a glimmer of positive thought and blew gently on that ember so that it could start to warm my soul.
In actuality, I made 3 extremely promising contacts that have become even more promising this morning, only 18 hours later; I have a list of 20 new emails and phone numbers for follow up from enthusiastic people who weren’t able to make it to last night’s meeting, and I have a clear idea of my next step. Oh, and did I mention that I have 3 new enrollees?
And yet that icky fear is still clinging to my ankles, threatening to rise up and swallow my heart, and render me incapable of motion.
It’s all in my head. Yesterday was a GREAT success. At any other point, my heart would be dancing a jig, and I would be grinning at everyone within radar range.
Thank goodness for self-honesty. It’s important to be able to look inside and discern the source of discord. Stress is the difference between the way we want something to be, and the way it actually is. Stress diminishes when you work with things the way they are, instead of the way that you want them to be.
So when I look at what really happened yesterday and my reaction to what happened yesterday, it’s easy to see that the cause of my stress is this impending deadline of needing to make this work within 2 months. I felt that my very survival depended on the presence of 40 enthusiastic enrollees at one meeting. I created this reality for myself that told me I failed, when actually, I succeeded.
Being in business for yourself is more than just making things happen, like getting people to a meeting, training them, mentoring them. It’s also about personal growth, managing yourself, taking responsibility for your reactions, monitoring your world view. I’m a much stronger person today than I was yesterday, because I had to lift some pretty heavy weights, and I did it. I’m a bit bruised, but even that is evaporating as the minutes tick by.
Despair doesn’t get you anywhere. Clear thought, positive attitude, taking action: those get you wherever you want to go. So, I’m leaving despair behind, and turning my face toward my next positive action, which is to follow up with the 25 people that I met yesterday.
Day 4 awaits!
I’ve been fired! Day 2
Filed under: MLM, building your business, dreams into reality, entrepereneurs, giving up, network marketing, overcoming obstacles, perfect business, positive attitude, solving problems, try try again
The aftermath of being fired can start to set in a day or two after the main event. I’m focusing on all of the positive things that come to mind. Like, it’s a gorgeous blue-skied day out there, and I’m not stuck in a cubicle, oblivious. I’m still sitting at a computer, but it’s my computer, and I’m working on MY business.
My business partner and I planned a big meeting for tomorrow. We planned it last week, got the room reserved, checked our slide shows and music mix, printed out fliers and put in motion all of the little details that ensure a successful meeting.
I was planning on taking the day off anyway, to really focus on the meeting, but now I have a whole extra day to get things in order. Also, it’s not a huge, late-night push to get it all ready, so I’ll be well-rested and full of genuine enthusiasm tomorrow.
Everything is working out for the best. I feel great! I envision a large turnout for our meeting. We have a powerful slide show, and great pre- and post-meeting activities. We did a run through last week, so both my partner and I know exactly what to do at every step of the meeting. I’ve had time to think everything through and pick up last minute oversights that might have involved some fancy footwork if they’d gone unnoticed.
I am so thankful that I’ve been working on my business part time, so it’s there for me to step into full time when I really needed it. I knew I would be building my business full time at some point, I just hadn’t planned on it being now. But just like starting a family, there’s not often the perfect time. Sometimes you just have to jump and swim as hard as you can.
I am surrounded by supportive, positive people; I have everything I need for tomorrow’s meeting, including a great business partner. We’ve been working together almost a year now, so we really know each other’s style and strengths. We’re a good team, and we’re so lucky to be in this together.
She still has her full time job, and my lay off scared her a bit, but that just motivates both of us to make every moment successful, positive, and full of focused activity and fun.
I keep going back to the fact that it is so important to have something that you can fall back on and build on your own, because corporations are crumbling all around us. Be ready for when it hits you, and your life will blossom instead of collapse. You can do it! I’ll show you how, because, whew, I’ve been there.
Hey! I got fired!
Filed under: MLM, building your business, dreams into reality, entrepereneurs, network marketing, overcoming fear, perfect business, positive attitude, solving problems, timing, women entrepreneurs
Yesterday, my boss fired me. Or maybe I got laid off; not sure what the difference is. Kinder terminology maybe. Regardless of the terms, yesterday I had a job; today I don’t have a job. That’s a big change in my reality, and it happens to a lot of people.
Yesterday, I was pretty upset. It caught me, not completely by surprise, but I didn’t see it coming right now. I knew it was something that could happen, but I had let myself be lulled into a sense of security, of things going on the way they always have. I felt safe and content, and then suddenly, during a 3-minute conversation, I felt vulnerable and all alone.
I cleared out my desk, packed up the artwork and plants that made my little corner pretty and comforting. A friend helped me carry everything out to my car. And I drove away. It happened so fast, and it was so late in the day, I was able to say goodbye to only two people. Today, everyone came in and probably saw my empty spot and wondered what in the world happened.
Now, I sort of knew it could happen, because I knew that money was tight. I knew that some funding that they’d been counting on was maybe not going to happen, but they assured me that it wouldn’t affect me, that they really needed me, and that I was safe. But I wasn’t safe. It did affect me. My world is very different today than it was yesterday, not even 24 hours ago.
That’s the world almost all of us live in today. Things change and they can change FAST.
I went home and told my husband what had happened, and my victory was that I was able to talk without breaking into tears. He was supportive and encouraging and enthusiastic about what door might open next. I was too caught up in my emotion to be swayed by his positive attitude, but I was able to stay off that slippery slope of debilitating fear and despair.
I didn’t sleep much last night, so I woke up tired and groggy. But the amazing thing was, I woke up optimistic, enthusiastic, with a sense of freedom that has stayed with me all day long.
Things happen for a reason. We’ve all heard that, and most of us believe it, but when we’re in the middle of a crisis, we might not be able to feel it. But I feel it. I have been working hard all day long at the thing that I LOVE to do, without fear, without anxiety, just knowing that it feels so right to be doing this. I can focus my full attention on MY own business, without the distraction of someone else’s business.
I’m the main wage earner in my household. My husband is a minister and loves his work, but it doesn’t pay anything at all. My income pays all of the bills, and sends us on vacation and buys us new computers and iPhones. So when my income goes away, our lives change.
But I’m not worried. I know that MY own business is going to grow tremendously over the next two months, because I know what I’m doing, and I can finally, finally focus on what I love to do: MY own amazing business. My own AMAZING business.
The worst financial disaster that could have happened to me and my family happened yesterday. And I’m feeling GREAT!
Do it yourself, or pay the man?
Filed under: MLM, direct sales, earn money from home, earn money online, entrepereneurs, learning network marketing, make money online, network marketing, overcoming obstacles, solving problems, time management
There is so much to do and only so many hours in the day. You’re building a business, probably while working full time at the job you’re trying to escape, raising a family, juggling schedules, caring for aging parents, and having a quiet dinner out, at least once in a while, with your spouse, so you can remember why you’re doing all of this anyway.
Some things you’ll be really, really good at. Other things will be a struggle for you. Avoid the trap of trying to do it all yourself. Otherwise, you’ll eventually run out of time and sanity.
Look for business partners with skills that compliment yours. If you don’t like speaking in front of groups, keep your antennae out for someone who likes being up on stage. If you can’t write, team up with someone who can. Are you super organized? Not everyone is. You can provide this skill to your partners, while they’re up on stage or blogging.
Another option is to hire someone to help you. For a couple of years, I had a personal assistant. She picked up my mail and called catalog companies to get me off their mailing lists. She returned the videos (pre-Netflix). She bought batteries for my watches and kept the refrigerator stocked. She did my laundry and filled out the checks for me to sign for all of the bills I was supposed to keep track of. When I traveled for business, or pleasure, she kept all of these things going in the background, so I came home to a cleared desk, with no backlog.
Heaven.
Then I got laid off, and I couldn’t afford to pay her any longer. But it taught me an important lesson: If someone else took care of the details that didn’t interest me, I could focus on what I loved to do, working on my career.
When I started network marketing, things went along pretty good, but I was starting to get frazzled around the edges because there were too many things to do, and most of them I had to learn first. I was a scientist, with no experience in network marketing. I had to learn everything.
When I turned to social networking, I had to learn Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and blogging and and and. . . the list goes on as far as the eye can see.
I sent out a plea for help, and the perfect person said “I could do that for you!” And she could. She did. She still does. My business has grown fabulously since hiring her, because I can focus my attention on the parts that I’ve learned really well, and that I LOVE to do.
Self reliance is a wondrous thing. Overwhelm is the pits.
Where are you?
Look to the boomers
Filed under: MLM, direct sales, earn money from home, earn money online, entrepereneurs, finding new prospects, network marketing, perfect business, right product, solving problems
Do you want a LOT of customers? Do you want a LOT of business partners?
Look to the baby boomers.
Baby boomers control about 65% of the wealth on the planet. They have money to use; they are experienced consumers; there are a LOT of them: 76 million in the US, 1 billion worldwide.
Just after World War II, between 1946 and 1964, baby boomers popped up everywhere. What did they need first? Baby food. Gerber became a household name as it fed boomers across the country. After that, in quick procession other HUGE trends swept the world: Mattel and Hasbro (toys); the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Beach Boys (music); Ford Mustang (cars), McDonalds and Burger King (fast food); then Century 21 (real estate). These trends were so huge, that we simply think of them as reality. But, if not for the boomers, these trends would have been blips on the screen, like rotary clubs and literature societies.
Right now, the boomers are between 45 and 65 years old. What are they buying now?
Health and wellness information and products
Stay young stuff
Financial planning
If you choose one of these markets, you’ll have the potential of a billion customers knocking at your door.
One of the things that I love about my company is that it’s perfect for baby boomers, both as customers and as business partners. It combines aspects of business and health, financial freedom and staying healthy, that are very appealing to the baby boomers. It has it all.
Nice, huh?
Choose your emotion
Filed under: learning network marketing, overcoming fear, overcoming obstacles, perfect business, positive attitude, solving problems, try try again
It’s easy to be in a good mood when you’re in a good mood. It can be somewhat harder to shift from a bad mood into a good mood.
Sometimes I wake up enthusiastic, with 24 ideas on what I want to write about, who I want to call, what I’m going to say at lunch, the messages I’m going to email my downline, my crossline, my upline. Those mornings are fabulous.
Sometimes I wake up weary. I curl up in a ball and just want it all to go away.
But those days are becoming more and more rare. I’ve been learning how to choose my emotion.
How?
Here are some clues:
1. Practice when it’s easier. Have you ever gone through child birth? Have you ever watched or coached someone going through child birth? There are breathing techniques that help you separate yourself from the pain. There are body positions that you can uses at different stages. There are things that you can do during child birth that will help a lot.
But you have to practice them ahead of time. If you wait until you’re in the middle of labor, and someone says, “Breathe, sweetheart, breathe”, your apt to take a wild swing and punch him in the jaw. You have to practice when it’s easier, so that you can draw upon your expertise when you’re in the moment and really, really need it.
2. Act consciously. When you feel yourself slipping into a mood, pay attention. I tell myself, “This is not where I want to go.” “This does not belong to me.” “This belongs to someone else, and I’m not that person.” I play great music, really loud, really quietly. I sing. I keep a collection of inspiring books, and open one up and read a few pages to get me back on track. I tell myself again and again, until it starts to take hold, “This is not mine. I’m giving it back to You.”
3. Be kind to yourself. If you’re too far gone to drag yourself out, let yourself wallow for a while. No berating. No self-flagellation. Turn away from those habits again and again. Realize that you’re here now, but you won’t be here for long. You’ll come out on the other side and return to the reality that fits you better.
4. Balance your energy. I have to admit that my most powerful tool is my Ayurvedic herbal drink. It shifts overwhelm to decisiveness. It shifts foggy-headedness to clarity. It shifts procrastination to action. It balances my energy, so I can exist in my best reality.
It’s all in your head, but that’s a marvelous thing. That means you can take charge and change it. Choose your emotion. And make it a good one.
What’s your dream?
Filed under: MLM, leadership, network marketing, overcoming fear, overcoming obstacles, positive attitude, solving problems, try try again
In your heart, in the center of your being, what is the dream that waits, yearning to blossom?
I want to wake up . . .
when I’m finished sleeping.
I want to go where I want. . .
when I want. . .
with whomever I want. . .
I want to travel. . .
and find amazement in the world.
I want to study. . .
and explore all that fascinates me.
I want to help others. . .
and watch their eyes. . .
as their world transforms. . .
into their dreams.
I want to make a difference!
I want to be somebody!
I want my life to matter!
What do you want from life?
What do you believe is your greatest challenge?
If you take this step. . .
what does your life look like?
Where do you want to go?
How will you get there?
Connect with your enthusiasm and abundance!
I will lead
not follow.
I will believe
not doubt.
I will create
not destroy.
I am a force for good.
Step up!
Step up!
Step up!
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