Treasure Your Dreams

I realize I don’t usually blog about my business, but there was something on my mind today that I want to share!

At our company convention a couple of weeks ago, Michael Clouse was our keynote speaker and he shared a little about the negative programing we are raised with. Our parents, who try to protect us by teaching us
“Don’t talk to__________”, try to teach us good manners by saying “Don’t speak until ___________”, and “Children should be seen and not ______________” (you fill in the blanks), in reality taught us to grow up with a deep rooted fear of talking to people we don’t know!

Aside from that, not only are we afraid to approach others, but when someone whom we don’t know approaches us — we immediately become suspicious and brand them as “weird”.

Two events have happened to me in the past week that got me thinking more about this topic –

#1 — At the grocery store last week, there was a little boy (about 2 years old) shopping with his Mom. We crossed paths a few times as we went up and down the aisles, and each time we did this little boy would smile, wave and say “HI!!!” then as I walked away he would say (just as enthusiastically) “BYE!!”

And what did his mother do? Absolutely NOTHING! She averted her eyes, turned away, and acted like, if anything, she was actually embarassed by the behavior of her child. How sad, that society has taught us to be embarassed about approaching others.

Chances are, I probably will never see this little boy again — but I would be willing to bet a fair amount that if our paths did cross again, 3, 4, or 5 years from now, that little boy would no longer wave and say “Hi” to me as I walked by. Instead, he will probably stand there quietly and watch me pass without saying a word.

Situation #2: There is a man who lives down the street from my house who has a slight mental disability. He is often seen walking down the street on his way to or from the corner store. Each time I drive past this man in my car, he smiles as big as he can, and waves.

Now, I live in Texas — *smile*, and a casual wave from passersby is actually quite common; but the enthusiasm this man puts behind his wave and his smile would have you think he had been your best friend for years! Even for Texas, that’s a bit over the top. It made me start wondering though, how different our world would be if everyone you met on the street waved and smiled at each other so enthusiastically.

As a Network Marketer, you have to overcome this deep rooted fear to talk to people you don’t know. You have to get up the nerve to say “HI!” to people in the grocery store, and give enthusiastic smiles to those you meet. You have to retrain yourself to “walk and talk” and share your incredible business opportunity with everyone!

It will be hard to do at first — a little uncomfortable, a little scary. Just like for that boy in the grocery store it is a little uncomfortable to sit quietly in the grocery cart without talking. Overtime though, that boy will learn to be quiet… just as you will learn to talk again.

The quote I leave you with today is this, by Michael S Clouse:

“If you want this thing to work, you must work this thing you want.”

When you set a goal, do you believe you will reach it? I’m sure you at least hope you will… think you might… but do you truly, truly believe that it will happen?

There’s a phrase I’m sure you’ve heard of — “Fake it ’till you make it.” And that is exactly what you must do when you set a new goal. You need to talk the talk and walk the walk as if the possibility of not reaching whatever goal you have set for yourself is simply just not an option. It’s already happened — it’s a done deal, no matter what.

When you can adopt that philosophy, your whole world will begin to shift. I know mine did! Oh I know some people look at my like I’m crazy when I say things like “Oh yeah well this time next year my check will be ______”, or “In two years we’re moving into __________ neighborhood”, etc — but in my mind those things are already a reality, and I see no problem sharing my belief with others!

Now don’t get me wrong, you don’t want to go out there blurting all your goals to everyone you meet — if you want to know why, you should check out my blog post on that subject here: http://treasureyourdreams.com/treasure/?p=55

What I’m saying is that you should eventually be able to reach a point when you are completely comfortable with your goals — a point where they are already such a part of your life (through the reality in your mind) that you can’t imagine your future without them! It is at this point that magical things will begin to happen in your life — as long you have the belief to back up the actions, and the actions to back up the belief, you will be unstoppable!

 The quote I leave you with is this (one of my all time favorites), by Paul J. Meyer:

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.”

I was sitting in my living room watching the Dallas Cowboys game, and I got to thinking… so, I decided to run in here and write this during halftime — enjoy

So many times we talk about goals in terms of our career or our finances — but I think having some FUN goals in your life is just as important, if not more so.

I hear what you’re saying… “Oh but I have lots of fun goals! Someday I’m going to travel the world, I’m going to own 3 vacation homes, I’m going to… ”

The key word in that phrase is, someday. What about today? What is your fun goal for this next 90 day cycle? Any takers?

Fun goals don’t have to be reserved for “someday” — you can (and should) be setting fun goals now! Short term fun goals help keep you motivated and excited about the path you are on. If all your fun goals are so far into the future that it will take years to realize them, it’s quite possible that you will lose your focus between now and then!

So no, maybe your 90 Day fun goal isn’t going to include a 6-week trip to Europe, but what about a weekend trip to the mountains, or the beach? What about tickets to a concert, or a sporting event?

You see, I’m a BIG football fan! My fun goal for the last 90 Day period was to save enough money to attend each of the Texas Tech home games — and guess what? My season tickets arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago!

I felt SO accomplished the day I ordered those tickets — and I will continue to feel accomplished each time I walk into that stadium on gamedays.

What’s my next 90 Day fun goal? Still football related Except this time, my goal is to attend the out of town games against University of Texas and Baylor.

Fun goals are… well, they’re fun! They make you smile — they are sometimes more motivating in the “now” than a certain income or title goal. You can feel yourself experiencing the reality of that goal, and that becomes your motivation.

For me, I also can imagine how disapointed I would feel if I found myself stuck at home during the weekend of the game against UT, watching it on my living room television. That is motivation, because I know I want to BE THERE!

So have a little fun with your goals today — set a goal to have a massage, or a spa day. Set a goal to go to a concert, or a football game. Set a goal to take the kids to a nearby amusement park for the weekend.

Then, use that fun to keep you motivated, and you will find that the income and career goals will fall into place as well!

The quote I leave you with is this:

“Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it!

What are the areas in which you struggle the most?

If you were to be completely honest with yourself, in what areas do you struggle the most in terms of your business? Is it consistency? What about effort? Follow Up? Follow Through?

In what areas do you struggle the most in terms of your health? What about in terms of your spiritual side, your family and relationships, your finances, your social and cultural side, or your leisure time?

Everyone has struggles in each area of their life. It’s a part of human nature, it’s just how we are! But that does not mean that we should be satisfied with those struggles and stay content with where we are in life, we should constantly be pushing forward… improving upon ourselves daily.

I ask this question to others often, but probably not often enough to myself: Where will YOU be five years from now, if you don’t do something different today?

In my morning devotional today I read a quote that I have heard many times, but it was nice to be reminded:

“If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you will continue to get what you’ve always gotten.”

John Maxwell said those words, and they are very, very true. We are a society that lives for “tomorrow” — tomorrow I will start going to the gym, tomorrow I will spend more time with my kids, tomorrow I will begin putting 10% of everything I earn into savings, tomorrow…tomorrow…tomorrow.

The problem is, tomorrow is a day that is always looming, but never actually arrives. Each day is a new “today”, and if we allow ourselves we forever put off taking the action steps to achieve our goals and dreams until “tomorrow”.

Don’t be one of those people. I do it — far too often. It is one of my struggles. BUT I am constantly working towards improving on myself; finding new ways to stay reminded that TODAY is the day to begin reaching for my goals… tomorrow is simply another day to do it again.

I do my best to wake up and spend 30 minutes reading a devotional of some kind each morning. A few days ago, the lesson I read talked about “NOW” — that too many people wait for “tomorrow” to change bad habits, to wait for God’s Will to become clear in their life. But God wants to change you NOW…. not tomorrow.

When do YOU want to change YOU? Today?…or Tomorrow?

The choice is yours — you can spend another day waiting for tomorrow to begin working towards everything you’ve ever wanted, or you can take the steps that are necessary today, so that if “tomorrow” ever actually gets here, you’ll be ready for it!

The quote I leave you with is this, by Jeff Olsen:
“Time will either promote you, or expose you.”

We’ve all made them — we wake up on January 1st, determined that “this year will be better!”

This year I will work out consistently.
This year I will save 10% of my income.
This year I will go to church every Sunday.
This year I will…. (you fill in the blank).

And we all know where it goes from there! You stick to your resolution… for a couple of weeks. Maybe a month. If you’re REALLY motivated, you might make it 2 or 3. Then, as all the hype and excitement from the New Year begins to fade, so does your motivation.

THEN 365 days later… you find yourself making the same empty promises to yourself as you did the year before.

So what can we do to end this vicious cycle? What if I told you there was a way to set a “New Year’s Resolution” 4 times a year? Do you think that might be easier? Of course it would!

The method is simple — divide your life into 90 day increments. Set 90 Day goals, a 90 Day Game-plan, and a 90 Day Schedule.

Looking ahead a full year in advance is difficult to do — there is too much time between the act of setting the goal, and the day of accountability. You tell yourself “Oh, it’s only January”… “It’s only March”… “It’s only June, I have half the year left!” Then, you look up and find yourself saying “It’s DECEMBER! How am I ever going to reach this goal now?”

If, however, you set your life up in increments of 90 days, you will find yourself working towards smaller goals that must be completed in a shorter period of time. 12 weeks is all you get — no ifs, ands, or buts about it!

You will be able to look at your calendar and find no logical reason why you could put your goal off for another day, or another week. The day you set your goal is already crunch time — you don’t have the option to procrastinate!

Once you have determined your goals, set up a game-plan for reaching those goals. This is called your Daily Action Steps. Do something each day that will take you one step closer to reaching each goal you have set for yourself.

If your goal is to weigh a certain amount… go for a walk, or spend some time at the gym!
If your goal is to reach a certain income level… go prospecting and do a presentation!
If your goal is to spend more time with your family… take your kids to the park after school!

But as you set up your goals, remember this: These are 90 day goals, so don’t be too hard on yourself! Make sure your goal holds up to the “reality check” — is it doable? Can it be accomplished in the amount of time you have allowed? Start out small, and don’t spread yourself too thin. You are much more likely to reach a goal if it is not too overwhelming!

If you are not in the habit of setting and reaching goals, then begin with VERY small goals! Develop the habit of reaching goals! Become accostomed to that feeling you get when you reach the end of the 90 Day Period and you can say to yourself “I did it!” That feeling alone will keep you more motivated during the next 90 Day cycle.

The final important thing I will share with you today is this: Once you have set a 90 Day Goal, become COMMITTED to reaching it!

And with that, the quote I leave you with today is this:
“Commitment is doing the thing you said you would do, long after the feeling you said it in has passed”

Anyone who is a student of goal setting knows that one of the most common methods is to write down your goals, in present tense and first person, on a sheet of paper in list form. You are then to read that list of goals outloud to yourself each at every day at least once, and preferably twice.

For example: I earn $XXXX a month.

This is a fairly common practice when it comes to bringing things into your life that you are wanting; but what if you used it to get rid of the aspects of your life that you DON’T want?

This idea hit me a few days ago when a close friend came to me seeking advice about a personal dilema. The answer came to me instantly, as if I had known it my whole life, although as far as I know the thought had never crossed my mind prior to that exact moment.  It must have been a God thing.

Let’s say for example that you are having a hard time over the loss of a family member. You feel down, depressed, and sad at the thought of this person. Daily actions remind you of them, and it’s making it hard for you to get through your daily routine.

Some positive affirmations you may use in this situation would be:
“When I think of (person’s name), I get a feeling of peace.”
” When I am reminded of (person’s name), the memories make me smile.”

You can use this method in viruatlly any arena of your life!

If you hate your job, but (for whatever reason) are unable to quit at this time… “I enjoy the time I spend at work.”
If you are having trouble making ends meet from paycheck to paycheck… “The money I make is more than enough to pay my bills each month”

Just as positive affirmations can bring things you don’t HAVE into your life, they can also take things you don’t WANT out of your life!

The quote I leave you with is this:

“The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal you enthrone in your heart, this you will build your life by; this is what you will become.”

As I write this blog, I am sitting in a hotel room in Wilkes Barre, PA (about 2 hours north of Philadelphia) waiting on everyone to begin arriving for our annual company convention.

I know most people think “convention” and immediately imagine stuffy suits and even stuffier meetings, but not me! I think of travelling with my friends, incredible buffets and 70s Disco theme night.

That’s what you have to expect when you travel to a “convention” in my business! I am so blessed to do what I do — to spend time coaching, training and working with some of my closest friends as we watch not only our own dreams come to reality, but the dreams of our team members as well.

We have 4 fun-filled days planned with tours of our corporate headquarters, dinner and a show with the company leaders, a 70s themed disco dance and a Havana Night’s themed night party on the deck. Of course, there will be a few “meetings” too *smile*, but stuffy is not a word I would even begin to use in describing the great presentations we are sure to listen to this week.

Really though, it’s the new friends I will get to meet, and the old friends I will get to reconnect with that I am looking forward to the most! There is truly something to be said about the quality of people you spend your time with — and I spend my time with some pretty incredible people!

I can’t imagine waking up each morning for 40+ years and going to a job I hate. Or even going to a job that I don’t absolutely love! Sure, there are days when you just feel like you need a break — but 99% of the time I wake up excited about each day, and go to sleep feeling completely fulfilled each night. I am so BLESSED!

The best part though, is that it’s not just me! Virtually everyone attending this convention feels the exact same way – and THAT is incredible! To have a business opportunity where people not only don’t HATE what they do, but they genuinely love it — well, it doesn’t get much better than that!

How many times have you thought to yourself, “I wish I could do _______, but it just wouldn’t be possible”?

Fill into the blank whatever you wish –

I wish I could get a new car.

I wish I could get a new house.

I wish I could walk away from this rat race.

Then let me ask you another question – who told you it was impossible?

The most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World, of course, was created by a man who believed that nothing was impossible. See what can happen when people break away from the self-imposed boundaries they’ve put on their life?

Magical things can happen!

Never choose not to pursue a dream because it seems far-fetched or, impossible. Remember the famous quote from Walt Disney himself:

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”