Friday, February 13, 2009

Don't Quit

Have you ever started a project and months later you look over at the corner of the room or in a closet where it has been pushed aside?

What about a personal relationship or with a business?

Have you ever started working to reach a dream or a true desire to only give up when you became frustrated?

In order to succeed in anything that you want to do in life, you must have a core desire. A core desire is a want and a need to get to a certain place in your life. It will make you laugh and make you cry. Each and every one of us has something we want or need. It may be totally different than the person beside you and that is what makes you unique.

So many times our dreams and goals are beaten down by others before we even start to create a path to achieve it. One thing to always remember is if someone is telling you what you can or cannot do, they are not YOU. Only you can decide what your path is. No one else can. If you let them get in your way..... You are allowing someone else to control you and your life.


One of my coaches gave me a coffee mug at Convention 06 and this is what it reads:

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will.
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill.
When you’re feeling low and the stress is high
And you want to smile but you have to sigh.
When worries are getting you down a bit..
By all means pray - and don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out.
God's hidden gift in the clouds of doubt.
You never can tell how close you are -
it may be near when it seems so far.
So trust in the lord when you're
Hardest hit.
It's when things go wrong
That you must
NOT QUIT!

So anytime I hit a block in the road I look at that mug and realize if I quit, I will never know what really could be around the next corner!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Learning and Earning

I have been in the Nu Skin Business for almost 3 years.

When I started in March 2006, my "why" was replacing my income and firing my boss! I did it within 7 months. That felt pretty good. So in October I was sitting at my desk looking at my 14 month old son and asking myself, "Now what?" Oh yeah I have to create another strong "why".

So I sat down and I put on paper "My Perfect Day". This was all part of keeping my momentum going. Every thought in my mind related to Nu Skin, my family, my new extended family and Financial Security. The team was sponsoring left and right. We were building a huge organization, I was in the bonus pool, my team was in the bonus pool, and people were starting to build their checks up! We were having a blast!

I became an Executive in June a Lapis in November and I jumped to Emerald in June 2007. What a ride! I was a so close to becoming a Qualifying Diamond and all of a sudden my mindset went sour. There were a lot of personal things going on at home so I thought it was just a glitch. We all have bumps in the road. It is just up to us if we are going to give up or get past it. I passed it. I was bouncing back. And then I realized. BAM! It hit me right square in the head. I was not only building a large organization all over the world, I was on a roller coaster of emotions. How was I supposed to help others if I was not helping myself?

I had to sit myself down and ask myself many deep and serious questions to figure out why my "Why" was not so fulfilling. What was getting in my way to become Blue Diamond or Team Elite? What was stopping me? I sat down and looked at my goals and my timeline to achieve them. I was on track but for some reason I wanted more than what I was receiving.

I figured it out! It was me! When you are leading a team and they have all their hopes on their leader you have to stay strong, committed and lead by example. I thought I was doing all of that until I saw myself spinning my wheels and going nowhere! My "why" needed to be clarified again? It is amazing how so many little things can get in the way of that without you seeing it until it can almost be too late. I sat down again and looked at my goals.

I was attending every Convention and actually winning the contest each year so all I had to do was pay for flight and hotel each time. I went to the Orlando Kick-Off Meeting in 2008 and had a blast. Troy Dunn was one of the speakers and he had me crying before it was over with. It felt really good. I also brought my mom with me to the meetings and she had her mouth open most of the time. I was surprised with many awards. One of the awards was 3rd place for the most Bonus Pools in 2007. Not bad when a team elite was beside me on stage with 1st place. (Gary DeRitter)

2008 rolled around and I had every intention to build strong the whole year. I saw lots of doors opening and I was ready. By March I couldn't figure out why I was not myself. I wanted to sleep in during the morning hours, I was having a hard time staying awake at night. It wasn't me AT ALL! I was ready to be in full momentum and I came to realize along the way, I had become pregnant with my second child. I was either sick, tired, no energy, in the hospital, and did I mention sick? What a year. Don't forget I was leading a team. And what is the saying? "When you are running, your team is walking, when you are walking your team is sitting, when you are sitting your team is sleeping and when you are sleeping your team is dead!" So to make a long story short my team was dying and I had to figure out how to wake them up again! I still won the contest again for the 2008 Convention and I was unable to attend since my doctor “grounded me” and I could not fly to SLC. I gave my free “Rock Star Pass” to one of my team members and told them all to have fun.

So now 2009 is year and it is going fast. I am looking at two boys now, Garrett (3 1/2) and Vincent (3 months). My energy is back. I am almost back to where I was before the pregnancy. I have learned to set a pace for myself and my team so we are not riding a roller coaster. Yes, that is correct. We have gotten off the ride but we have not left the fun park. We are having too much fun!

The goals are written out in detail AGAIN…… hours, days, weeks, months and the years in our future. The most important part of these goals are we only live once, we are making the most out of each day and HAVING FUN!

Our company has doubled in sales every month for the last 15 months and even though the economy is getting hit so hard, Nu Skin had their best 4th quarter they have had in all of the 25 years of being in business. Forbes magazine(Jan. 12th, 2009 Edition) listed us in the top 10 (#9) as a prime target for value investors! That sounds pretty good doesn’t it? That is why I am sticking to everything I committed to in 2006 and I am going to the top and I plan on taking all of my team with me, granted there will always be bumps in the road no matter what path I take. If and when that happens, I will sit down and focus on my "why" again and again until I get there.

I hope to see you there with me!