Man! Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just Me?

My husband and I were in Cancun when I wrote this title. It seemed appropriate at the time, since I had just returned from using the exercise facilities at the resort.

Why would I work out while staying at a resort??? My body craved it, thats why! It had gotten used to feeling the rush from sweating out the bad stuff and getting my blood pumping! There’s also peace that comes when I work out, and I’m sure I’m addicted to that somewhat. I told my husband that I needed to go work out because it was the only way I knew to get my brain to shut up long enough for me to relax! I get clear when I work out. That’s why I did it even while we were on vacation. What a great way to actually enjoy my vacation – not thinking so much!

Of course, this was just another opportunity for me to “work”, since I started thinking of all the things I wanted to write about, and changes I want to make, and things I want to read, and people I want to talk to and send cards to, and…….WOW! Maybe I need to go work out some more (that way I’ll just pass out and stop thinking!).

It occurred to me that I never really stop “working”. Or is it that I never stop being on vacation? What’s the difference anyway? My life is pretty good – I can’t complain. I’m a Stay At Home Mommy, with an Entrepreneurial lifestyle. I get to raise my kids at home, and work when I want to (or have the time to!). My kids can be my first priority – whenever they need me, I’m there. Having a Networking career allows me that freedom. So, whether I’m at home, at the grocery store, or on vacation in Cancun, I always have the freedom to do what I love! At the end of the day, it’s all about relationships. Building someone up. Showing someone the way. Taking the time to listen to them, their needs, and try to help them find a solution. Be the LIGHT!  You never know if the smile you give someone will change their life.

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!”

If you can’t stand the heat of parenthood and entrepreneurship, then get out now! Well, if you’re already a parent, you can’t really “get out” of that! But you can make other arrangements, if being a stay at home parent is not for you.There are times you will reach your Boiling Point with both. It’s important to be ready for those times, and working out (for me) has been a lifesaver in those areas! I have learned so much about myself just in the last month alone from working out and taking a vacation (from everything). I will go into more detail about our trip to Cancun in another post, so stay tuned!

There are things you have to do if you want to get ahead in your business, however, I have never felt it to be at the expense of being at home with my kids. Next month I will be attending the No Excuses Summit in Vegas, and Daddy will be taking over parenting duties while I’m gone. Some might consider that a “sacrifice”. That’s not how I see it, though. I view a “sacrifice” as having to give something up in order to get something else. To me, it’s more of a GIVE-GIVE situation: My kids are GIVEN a vacation from Mommy and GIVEN some time with Daddy. I am GIVEN some time and tools to grow my businesses, and that will GIVE me the ability to GIVE to others! See how that works? A little mind shift will make all the difference!

Bottom line: It’s not just me, It’s HOT in here! But I can take it, so BRING IT ON!!!

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

Yours In Sweaty Success!

How To LOVE Your Life

Live With What You Love – and Get Rid of the Rest!

Country Home Magazine’s February 2009 issue had this statement on their cover. It had an immediate impact on me, and I knew I had to write about it! While the article related to home decorating, my mind went in a million different directions!

This simple statement can be applied to every area of your life, no matter what it is.

Think about it for a minute. Are you currently Living With What You Love?

Look around the room you are in right now. Are you surrounded by junk, trash, or beautiful, useful things?

Look around the place you live, inside and out. Just take a nice walk around, and notice what you have collected! Do these things serve a purpose? Are these items you have collected and held onto being Loved? Are they Loving you? What do you have packed away that have not seen the light of day in so long, you no longer remember what is in those boxes?

Now move to your work area – whether you are a work at home mom, or a work outside the home mom, it doesn’t matter. Ask yourself the same questions from above.

Check out your car(s) and what is inside. Trash on the floor? Baby/kid toys, books, etc all over? When is the last time you vacuumed in there? Got it washed?

These next two are REALLY FUN!

Look at yourself in a full length mirror (if you dare)….Do you LOVE what you see right now? Remember, Live With What You Love and Get Rid of the Rest. When I did this recently, I was not impressed, let me tell you! I was at my Hot Yoga class and thought I looked like a contestant on the “Biggest Loser”! While I can stand to lose a few pounds, the way I was dressed made things look worse than they really are (I hope!). So, my clothing choice was not very Loving. Out they went! As for how your body looks when you are naked, make a list of the things you want to change. Then circle the things you CAN change. Work on being more Loving to those places. It may require dietary changes, some exercise, or just some daily fresh air and water. Rest is a big one for me, and I am more Loving to my body when I give it some. As for the parts of your physical body that you cannot change, practice Loving those areas, by accepting them.

*As a sidenote, my husband and I both decided that we will start the Shaun T. Insanity workout as soon as we get it in the mail! I will post before and after pics, in the hopes it may inspire others to do the same!

Moving on….

Clothing, shoes, accessories, hair and make up can also use an overhaul. Take a good look at everything you have in those areas, and make the changes necessary to become the best YOU possible. If it no longer fits, give it away, sell it to a consignment shop, or trash it! Make up – if it’s old or outdated, throw it out! Hair – big one for us ladies – don’t feel you have to be all dramatic and drastic with your changes here. Sometimes all you need is a nice trim to make you feel lighter and more energized with your life.

Another part of really looking at yourself includes your insides. What I mean is, how are you emotionally? Spiritually? This one can take some time to discover the Truth about. We tend to overlook the act of really Loving ourselves. Where do your thoughts take you all day and all night? A resource I have found incredibly useful in transforming my thoughts, has been the use of NLP. Neuro Linguistic Programing was introduced to me a while ago, but not used until I started sessions with my Life Coach. It’s amazing the things we say to ourselves, as well as others. Check out anything by Tony Robbins, and you’ll see that this is what he uses. “Thoughts Are Things” is the truth! What are you putting out there with your thoughts and words? To yourself and others? Are your thoughts and words Loving? If you have to wonder, the answer is probably “yes”. A quick test is to look at what you’re getting in return. Love out, Love in. Some people also find it helpful to pray or meditate. Whatever feels right for you, DO IT!

Saving the best for last….Drumroll please!

Relationships! Whatever order you make these observations and changes in, nothing will change your life as much as your relationships. I have found that with making changes to all of the above items, ironically, my relationships with others changed. Why? The Law of Attraction Baby! When you declutter your surroundings as well as your own mind, your relationships get clearer and less cluttered as well. Remember, we only want to Live With What We Love! This applies to your romantic relationships, family relationships, friendships, work relationships, and everyone else in the mix! So refuse to shortchange yourself and the quality of your life by holding on to a relationship or connection that is no longer serving either of you.

Obviously, this process will be deeper than it reads, and I will be posting more about it soon. Until then, start with the basics, and Grow from there.

Until Next Time!

Farmville Almost Killed My Business (and My Family)!

Make sure that this doesn’t happen to you!

If you are serious about having a successful home based business, you MUST stop “playing games”! Especially if your connections and contacts are made and kept through Facebook. Since everyone can basically see your activity online, it’s not a good idea to be level 25 in a week on Farmville, if you want to be taken seriously.

Any new business (or even a growing one) requires TIME and effort. It didn’t take long for me to realize that all of my “free time” was being spent playing this particular game. I thought it was a great way to socialize, and it was something I looked forward to playing everyday. It was fun to grow my farm, and make sure I didn’t miss out on harvesting my crops in time, and giving gifts to my Facebook friends. But the fact that a game would interfere with my production – GROWING my business – was wrong. So one day I just blocked the entire application. After that, I decided to block a whole lot more of them. Who has time for this if they’re serious about being successful?? Play the games AFTER you meet your financial goals!

Now, as far as Family is concerned….I am a stay at home mom of two daughters under the age of 3. They are not in daycare, nor do I have help at home during the day while their daddy is at work. Yet I found myself getting frustrated when one of them, or both of them, could not leave me alone for 2 minutes while I harvested my crops! That’s just not good for anyone. How can I be frustrated over a game? A GAME? My kids are real life. They matter more than Farmville. Besides, when we build our log home, we can all work in our own little REAL Farmville!!!

Games are fine. Just don’t let them interfere with your success – Family or Business.

Now, let’s go watch some Spongebob while mommy works on the laptop!