Happy New Year: Resolutions and Reflections

 Happy New Year!

Before we Jump into 2011, I want to suggest that you do something different from the traditional ‘New Year Resolutions’. Or, at least,

Do something else first

before you plan next year. Whatever you’ve achieved this year, and whatever challenges you’ve experienced, it really is worth sitting back and enjoying the journey every single step of the way by reliving magic moments in your life.


Find yourself a quiet few minutes…and lets specifically direct your focus within that time ... Where ever you are, Whatever you may be doing. Just notice the effects that this focus has on how you’re feeling – your emotions and sense of well being.  Watching, Listening, Being in the moment.

You see, a big part of life is celebrating the magic moments. I believe that at the end of your life you’re not going to remember everything… but you’ll remember certain moments…You may achieve a lot of things, but it’s the moments that’ll make you feel fulfilled. So think about some of your magic moments from the last year … what are some moments that come to mind for you….?

What are you grateful for? Who do you love? Who loves you?

Maybe there are some moments that have happened this year that have been special to you…A great conversation.. a moment when you really connected with somebody at a deep level. Somebody’s smile, laughter, maybe it was a moment where you came up with a great idea…. Or completed a challenging project.  An inspiring movie or book, something you saw, heard or felt that was just special in some way… how about a piece of music that really touched you? Flood yourself with the great feelings that come those magic moments.

Feel grateful for the ears that get to hear wonderful conversations, the eyes that allow you to see the smiles… the opportunities, the challenges, all of it… Take it all in…

And now what do you love about THIS moment, today?

Whatcan you be proud of already?
What are you excited about?
What could you be excited about if you really wanted to be?

Be grateful. Acknowledge how blessed you are. Bask in it.
And as you think about all these things, celebrate your life! And celebrate it BIG!

Happy New Year!

 

 

Abundant Blessings!

The 4 Keys to becoming a Successful Leader

1. BE A GREAT DECISION MAKER

     The first and most important trait of a great leader is a high level of decision making skill.
     Destiny is not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice.
 “But what if you make the wrong choice or decision?”      Too many people are on the fence for way too long because they are afraid of making a bad decision. But the biggest mistake is always trying so hard not to make any.  

2. TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY                              
       The second greatest trait a successful leader has is being able to take full responsibility for his choices.
     A great leader always thinks about what the situation needs, not just his own selfish needs.
  3. RELENTLESS ACTION FOLLOWING DECISIONS
 
     Countless studies have found that the most successful people are quick to make decisions and slow if ever to change them, where unsuccessful people are always slow to make decisions and quick to change them.
  
4. TO BE A GREAT LEADER, ONE MUST BE A GREAT FOLLOWER
    
    A Great Leader Follows the Actions of Other Great Leaders and Studies what they do, how they do it and Takes Definite Action to apply what they Learned.  A Good Leader Borrows from Those they follow and makes it their own.

    
   AND SO..
      The most successful people out there, are those who can make the hard decisions, take full responsibility for their choices, and take relentless action towards their goals and Follows other Great Leaders consistently. Not Just some of the time but Always.
    
So, in 2011, Stand up and Take action. Become the Great Leader that you Already are and Shine the Brightest among the stars!!
 

How to Set and Achieve Your Goals in 2011

It's only a few days and we welcome year 2011. We are Reviewing the year that is about to be behind us. At this point, it is only fitting that you will lay out plans ahead. All of these plans must answer the most important questions in your life:

• What are my dreams?
• What is it that I really want in life?
• How do I achieve them all?

These questions all related to setting goals and achieving them. 

But how? You ask.

I found an Awesome Report by a gal named Arina.

It is intended to provide you guidance in implementing each step towards
your dreams, from setting your goals, identifying appropriate
actions to achieving them and finding the discipline to stick to
action plans. Its an Awesome Guide that will Certainly Help you Put Things into Perspective as we begin 2011.
Download it at:
http://www.arinanikitina.com/how-to-set-and-achieve-your-goals-in-2011.html

Enjoy and don't forget to post your comments! ;)

May your Christmas and 2011 sparkle with moments of love, laughter,
and may the year ahead be full of contentment and joy!

Have a Merry Christmas!
Abundant Blessings Always!

Helping your Team see the Big Picture

Helping Them See The Big Picture

The foundation for creating a meaningful work environment is to help team members see how they fit into the big picture. People will naturally become more passionate about their work when they clearly understand they are part of something bigger than themselves. As a leader, you must be able to answer the four questions team members commonly ask (and they are asking these questions  whether you hear them or not):

1. Where are we going? (Strategy)
2. How are we going to get there? (Plans)
3. How can I contribute? (Roles)
4. Whats in it for me? (Rewards)

Help your Team members see the Big Picture by providing images in their minds eye. Remember, The words you say will create those images.

Creating a Facebook Fan Page: Eight Easy Steps

Eight Easy Steps to Creating a Facebook Fan Page

If you already have a personal Facebook page, you can create a Facebook Fan Page to promote your business. Below are step by step instructions for how to create a Fan Page on Facebook. Generally a facebook profile is great for talking about personal day to day things with friends but a Fan Page is an awesome opportunity to Brand Yourself as a Leader in your Industry and really is the way to go for marketing your business.
So Lets get started on some easy steps!

1) Go to create a Facebook Fan Page and:

Choose a category. Choose from Local, Brand, Product or Organization, or Artist, Band or Public Figure. There is a drop-down menu under each for you to make a more specific choice.

Give your page an appropriate name. This is the title that will show at the top of your page so, simple is good. People need to know what your page is about at a glance. For instance, I've name named my page The Home Career Network rather than something such as Michelle's networking.

Hit the Create Page button.

You're done!

It looks pretty bland though, doesn't it? Best to add some material that will interest people.

2) Add a picture.

Worth a thousand words or not, people will want to see one. Maybe of you, if you provide personal services. Maybe of something that shows your business in action. A business logo would also work. Click Edit Page on the left side of the page.

3) Edit your Information section.

In the box on the left hand side under the Suggest to Friends feature, write something welcoming. You'll notice my Facebook Fan Page acknowledges visitors and welcomes their participation: "Feel free to post a hello, a question, or a comment."

Include your other contact information, such as a link to your website and/or Twitter account.

4) Edit your Info tab.
Click on the Info tab and edit the page to add information about your Website, Company Overview and Mission. (This is a great place for your mission statement of course!)  Learn more About Mission statements and help with writing one

5) The next step to create a Facebook Fan Page is to add content to your Wall.

You can add comments by typing directly into the "What's on your mind?" box and then clicking the Share button. (Your fans will be able to do this too if you leave the Facebook Fan Page settings for the Wall on default.)

Directly underneath this box, you'll see the word Attach and icons representing different applications that you can use to add content to your Facebook Fan Page (Links, Photos, Events or Videos). You can find out what each of these applications does by clicking on the Edit Page link directly under the photo box.

(This page also allows you to adjust your application settings. You can also adjust application settings by going to the top right hand corner of your Facebook Fan Page and using the drop down menu to select Application Settings.)

Find other applications that you might want to use on your Facebook Fan Page by scrolling down to the bottom of the list; you'll see a More Applications section that you can browse. One thing you will definitely want to do if you already have a blog is to import your blog directly to your Facebook Fan Page. So:

6)Import your blog.

Go to Edit Page on your Facebook Fan Page and scroll down to the Applications section. From the list of Applications, choose Notes and click on Edit. A page will appear that shows Note Settings. At the moment there will be a message saying, "You are not importing notes from an external blog". Click on Import an External Blog.

On the dialog box that appears, enter your Blog's URL/RSS feed and check the box to accept the agreement. A preview of your blog will appear. Click on the Confirm Import box and voila! Your blog will now publish on your Facebook Fan Page when you write a new blog post without you doing anything! I be sure to keep my blog updated with valuable nuggets on a consistent basis.  So this is a great way to do it all in one shot!

You can also import your blog to your Facebook Fan Page by adding an application such as Networked Blogs.

To use Networked Blogs to do this, first go to the NetworkedBlogs.com application and add your blog by clicking the Register a new Blog button in the top right corner of the application. (Once all the information is complete, be sure you take a second to bookmark your blog page to make it easier to find again.)

During this process, you need to be sure you allow the application access. Once you do, it will appear in your applications which you access through the bottom left hand corner of your Facebook Fan Page.

Once you see it there, go back to your blog page in the Networked Blogs application. On the right hand side, under the Thumbnail Coming Soon box, is a menu. Choose Feed Settings which will bring up a page where you can configure the application so it will "auto-publish blog posts to your page wall" . (You can also set the application to auto-publish your blog to your personal profile as well.)

7) Promote your Facebook Fan Page.

You're ready to share your Fan Page with the world.

Click on the Suggest to Friends link on the top left of your Facebook Fan Page. A box will pop up that lets you select friends and send them invitations to become fans of your page.

In the same location on your Facebook Fan Page is a link that you can follow to promote your site with a Facebook ad. You can purchase Facebook ads on a per-click (CPC) or per-impression (CPM) basis. Ads for Facebook Fan Pages include a "Become a fan" link.

You might also want to add a button to your website so your website visitors can easily share your site with their friends on Facebook.

Or use Facebook Connect to increase the activity on your site.

And of course, you'll want to visit other pages and become their fans and post on their walls to build up your Facebook presence.

8) Give your Facebook Fan Page a user-friendly name.

One more handy tip on how to create a fan page on Facebook. When your Facebook Fan Page has gotten at least 25 fans, you'll be able to create a user-friendly URL for it. Go to the Facebook Username page. Choose your Facebook Fan Page and give it the username you want it to have. Having a user-friendly URL makes it easier to promote your Facebook Fan Page.

That's it. How to create a Fan Page on Facebook in eight easy steps.

 Keep your Facebook Fan Page fresh and appealing by continuing to add interesting content so when people visit they see why they might want to become a fan of your page. The more interaction and opportunities for involvement your Facebook Fan Page offers, the better – and the more useful for promoting your business your Facebook Fan Page will be.

So don't wait for the Perfect time to get it started. There is never a Perfect time for anything. The best thing to do is get it up and running and as you continue to consistently use it and add content the better and better you'll get at it. There's an array of mentors to follow with this subject.
I recommend Jo the Entreprenette. The best one I have found. Her name is  Jo Barnes  She Provides step by Step Tutorials that Anyone, even a newbie, will understand.

The One Word that will change Everything with your Presentation

As I continue to Train and mentor with Top Leaders in the industry, Its hard not to succeed.

And it wouldn't be any fun if I didn't share with you what I have just learned.

It is absolutely amazing and really has changed the way I open with my presentation.

Ready?

Say LESS to MORE people.

It's so simple but most people try to EXPLAIN their

opportunity to their prospects. I'll admit it. I used to do

that BEFORE I knew HOW to talk to my prospects.

Here's the key: That's what TOOLS are for.

If you're in a great company with a great team, you are

bound to have some great tools at your fingertips to open

your prospects. Notice I said OPEN.


Remember this...another KEY:

Everyone is OPEN but few are INTERESTED.

If you ask someone if they are interested in an opportunity

to make more money, most will say NO...I"m not INTERESTED.



But if you ask them if they are OPEN to an opportunity to make more

money, most will say: Sure, I'm OPEN, I may not be INTERESTED,

but whatdya got?

Do you see the difference? One little word could make or break

your success in prospecting?

Once they are OPEN, then it's EASY to get them to a presentation.

I hope this note has Blessed you as much as it has Blessed me.



Michelle Stefferson

National Sales Director

Leaders of Tomorrow 2008

Top Producer 2010

Ace Council 2010

The Power of your Own Mind

A Power so Great.. Greater than Poverty. Its the Power of your Own Mind.
Everyone of us is blessed with the Power of taking possession of their own mind and direct it to the end result.
You Have the Power to direct your own mind to whatever ends you desire!

Applying Techniques for Staying Focused

Applying Techniques for Staying Focused


Each of us has our busy lives and in this world of constant distractions, how can we stay focused on our goals?
For me, there are always several things constantly competing for my time – The Daily Routine of being a Single mom, exploring new ways of marketing, links to follow up, my daily work, personal commitments etc. In my experience whenever I try to work on many things at the same time, none of them actually gets done.

I’ve incorporated the following techniques for staying focused into my work patterns and daily Routine. Once applied, I am confident that they will work for you too:

1. Having well defined goals. I can’t stress the importance of this enough. Having goals which are well defined along good guidelines is the key. Writing your goals down is a very important step. Whenever I get distracted, I read my goals and I’m reminded of what I am working on and why. This is a task that should be defined and read Daily.

2. Breaking things into bite sized chunks. Having broad high level goals are essential but having an actionable plan is critical. A plan can identify how you can get from where you are to where you want go. Breaking goals into smaller actionable chunks (Daily tasks) is the key – it gives motivation to start and allows for you to get things done in one sitting. Set a Goal date. Without setting a date you are merely wishing. Work on Daily Goals which will break down the goal into smaller chunks therefore allowing you to reach your Broad High Level goal more efficiently.

3. Prioritizing constantly. To allow for which task I should be working on, I prioritize constantly. Some tasks are more important than others. Some tasks are more urgent than others. Work on urgent tasks followed by tasks which have the greatest impact– urgent tasks allow you to get things done on time and important tasks will allow you to maximize the benefits. Sit down the night before and write out your plan of action for the next day.

4. Tracking progress vigorously. Each of us wants to improve our lives. However, it is easy to start with good intentions but more difficult to sustain commitment. I’ve found that by tracking/benchmarking my progress daily, I have more visualization on what I’ve done and can better gauge how much effort is left.

5. Planning ahead without fail. Concentrating on the remaining effort can help reinforce commitment. Some might think they’ll get discouraged, however, this is not the case because by writing tasks that are bite sized and easy to finish it helps to look at your goals and task lists periodically, so you can assess how much time it’ll take to do something and determine the best time to sit down and work on it.

6. Rewarding yourself . By all means focus on what’s outstanding, but also take stock of what you’ve done. Don’t under sell yourself. Always reflect on what you’ve done, whether it is reading a post you did awhile ago or looking at the bullet points you’ve made alongside your task lists. Whenever you accomplish a goal, always reward yourself. It does help with maintaining motivation.

7. Having positive patterns in my routine. I’ve found having good habits and positive patterns to be critically important. At the moment, I can consistently get more done. As these patterns continue to establish into a routine, I’m finding that I can better judge the periods of the day in which I really need to focus and work. Consistency is the key. This will eventually work itself into a Routine. As mundane as that may sound, It is key to maintain focus and consistency.

8. Removing distractions as best I can. The best way not to give in to temptation is not to have the option to. What works for me is making the distractions difficult or inconvenient to access. Because it takes too much effort to indulge in the distraction, I find it is less likely for me to give in.

9. Blocking out some time. Waking up early and consistently. I’ve found that having quiet time, set aside specifically for accomplishing a given task, to be very productive. I also tend to be more focused in the morning after a restful night. Although, I know myself well, I find to be more productive in the evening. Know what works best for you so you can be more productive during the times of day that work with the alignment of your schedule.

10. Keeping the results clear in mind. Instead of concentrating too much on the task at hand, sometimes I put attention on the feelings I ultimately wish to experience. By focusing on the results, it is easier to maintain motivation especially when you are working on things that you are not by nature motivated by. The End justifies the means. Focus on The End result.

11. Enlisting my family and friends for help. I communicate with my family and friends about my goals all the time. Not only have they been helpful with gentle reminders whenever they see my behavior is not consistent with my goals, but they also give me constant incentives to work at my goals and succeed. Be sure that the people you enlist are People that encourage you on a regular basis and are not dream stealers on any level.

Here are some examples of how I have applied these techniques:

•Having a goal to Read at least 6 books a year
•Working on articles for my facebook fan page and blog
•Prioritizing tasks
•Tracking the number of presentations I do every day
•Planning topics for future Training calls
•Taking time out to do searches on Google for personal development
•Waking up at 8am and working on tasks that may cause distractions later.
•Asking my son to wake me up if I fail to get up on my own.
•Unplugging the Xbox and putting up a sign on my door to remove distractions.
•Reading or sitting quietly to relax my mind after completing a emotional task
•Visualize the growth in my business. Focus on the End result.

These 11 techniques can be applied to any aspect of your personal and business life. If you find you have trouble staying focused for whatever reason, apply some or all of these techniques. These have worked for me and I know by applying these techniques, they will work for you too.

I have found the following resources to be helpful to me as well.

•
How to have a more focused day – Steve Pavlina
•
Radio interview with David Allen (Getting Things Done)
•
Getting and staying focused
•
How to stay focused and achieve your goals
•
7 simple ways to stay focused
•
How to get work done in a home based business
•
Staying focused in your home office



Stay Focused! Be Blessed!

Michelle Stefferson
National Sales Director
Leaders of Tomorrow 2008
Millennium club Member
Top Producer 2010
Ace Council

No Glass Ceiling, Just Blue Sky Movie

No Glass Ceiling, Just Blue Sky Movie: "No Glass Ceiling, Just Blue Sky Movie - If you need a "shot of inspiration" just watch this beautiful 3 minute movie that shares some of Marcy's secrets to success. You'll love the music, the beautiful photographs and, the ideas will speak to your heart."

Will's Wisdom

Will's Wisdom

Ameriplan on Good Morning America

The Power of Legacy Income:Ameriplan

The Worlds First Female Self-Made Millionare!

Just found this article and I LOVED it.  Let me know what you think of it.

Her name is Madam C.J. Walker and here she is:

And let me tell you, this lady ..how she became the first female self  made millionaire selling hair products door-to-door!  Check out her story. Here is  her information she was born in Louisiana. On a farm. In 1865.

Not really an ideal time and place to be born if you're:

1. A woman.
2. African American.

But she had plenty of additional challenges to face. She was an orphan at age seven. At age 14, she got married reportedly to escape the abuse that she was suffering at the hands of her brother-in-law. She became a mother at age 17, and a widow at age 20.

She supported herself and her daughter by picking cotton on a farm, by being a laundress, and by working in a barber shop. From what I can tell, the most she ever made during that time was $1.50 a day.

But It Got Worse

At around 25 years old, she began to develop a a condition that caused her to start balding.

Can you imagine? As if she didn't have enough to deal with now the poor lady's hair is falling out.

(And we whine when our cell phone drops a call every now and then kind of embarrassing.)

Anyway Here's Where It Gets Good

It shouldnt surprise you that she quickly became a student of how to fix the  balding problem

In fact, she researched all kinds of treatments, and eventually discovered that sulfur could abolish the scalp disease that was causing people to lose their hair.

(Apparently, people lost their hair a lot back then because they didn't bathe as much. They would get some nasty scalp infection and their hair would fall out. But if you treated the problem with sulfur, you could knock it out.)

So she did the only logical thing to do, which was to start her own business selling a product called Madam Walkers Wonderful Hair Grower.

Keep in mind, she was just starting out and didn't have a big budget (probably NO budget at all) so she had no choice but to Go Out thre and take charge!

And the first thing she did was to go door to door, selling her product.

Listen nobody really embraces a door to door sales person with open arms these days, you know?

But imagine what it must have been like for Madam Walker in the racist and male dominated environment she was working in back then.

That took some cojones.

How many times do you think she was rejected?

How many doors do you think were slammed in her face?

How many insults did she hear?

Im willing to bet she even was threatened regularly.

But did that stop her?

No!

Not only did she survive she thrived.

Mrs Walker hung in there and sold more products, developed new ones, and finally opened up a factory in Indianapolis.

By 1913, she was traveling around the world training other women to sell her products.

And by the time she died in 1919 at age 51, she had become

The Worlds First Female Self-Made Millionare!

Against incredible odds, wouldnt you say?

Man  what a story.

Did I mention that her parents were former slaves? I dont think I did.

So her story is amazing, and I think her success is largely due to one critical characteristic:

The Amazing Ability To Get up AND Get To WORK.

Seems we have a lack of that ability these days.

Think about it.

The real secret to success is to get out there and work like crazy.

And when we think about Madam C.J. Walker, its painfully obvious that

We Have Absolutely NO Excuse For Failure

Actually  let me rephrase that.

In the beginning, failure is pretty much inevitable.

A first-time home run is about as rare as an honest politician.

And some projects dont work at all.  Such is life.

So yeah, failure is OK.

But heres the thing,

You Have To Get Up, Brush Yourself Off, And Get Back In The Game

That is the magic power of the successful entrepreneur.

Actually, there are really only two magic powers that Ive seen  and these are present in every successful person Ive met, worked with/for, or studied.

Here they are:

Magic Power #1: The ability to get started.

This is a big one.

ve seen so many people get  stuck on trying to figure out what web host to use, what script to  use, what email provider, and so forth.

And look  Ive been there, so I can relate.

But heres the deal.

Most of the time all the research, the preparation, the making sure everything is perfect most of the time thats secret code for

I'm Scared!

Scared it's not gonna work.

Scared you're gonna look stupid.

Scared you might lose some money.

Scared you'll be judged

So let me help you out here and tell you right up front that All That Bad Stuff Is GUARANTEED To Happen!

Your very first site is probably gonna look kinda terrible. Your first sales letter is probably gonna need tweaking.

Your friends will  certainly judge you and talk behind your back about what a fool you are for trying to make money on the Internet. At least one of them will believe you've fallen for a get-rich-quick scheme.

And since you'll be putting yourself out there in the interwebz for the whole world to see you're probably going to look not so great to someone. (And if you don't, you're doing it wrong.)

So that's the way it is.

And since you know its all definitely going to happen (barring some miracle), you can finally stop worrying about it and just get it all out of the way!

Better to go on ahead and power through it, you know? Hurry up so you can get to the good stuff. Like cramming down the vegetables when you were a kid so you could finally get dessert. (I still do this).

And once you do you can practice

Magic Power #2: The Ability To Step Back Into The Ring

Business is like boxing in the sense that you will, without question, get knocked around a little.

Know what I mean? And do you think there's ever a conversation where a guy wants to become a boxer and this happens?

guy:  Coach? Can I talk to you a minute?

Coach: Sure, son. Whats on your mind.

guy: Well, I think I want to be a boxer.

Coach: Thats great. We can start training on Monday.

guy: OK. But Coach?

Coach: Yeah?

guy: Do you think Ill ever get you know hit? Like, do you think anyone is gonna you know, punch me?

Coach: GET OF MY GYM!

I know, I know never happens. In BOXING.

But it sure happens in business.

People get started (which is a huge feat in and of itself) and then just get floored by the first setback.

It takes them by complete surprise and it makes them want to quit.

I suppose its natural.

But whats not natural and what really breeds success is that ability to brush yourself off and start over.

Just like the champion boxer, you gotta get up and step back into the ring. If you do that enough times, you'll be tough as a pit bull and you'll start winning.

And it doesn't take too many wins before it all starts to add up.

But, if you don't get back in there and take another shot you'll never win.

And listen: EVERYBODY I know who's achieved lasting success has, often on more than one occasion, has fallen down in  their  business. Many have lost everything before they finally made it.

Ive fallen many times and embarrassed myself but you know, I always got back up and stepped into the ring again.  Was it hard?  YES!

But worth it.

And if an orphaned daughter of former slaves can work her way up through the racist hardship of the economically depressed deep south and become the worlds first self-made female millionaire then what possible excuse do WE have?

Do you think it was easy for this lady to just walk outside and start going door to door?  no!

Do you think it was easy for her to keep going after hearing insults and rejections every day? Of course not.

But she did it anyway. Because thats what it takes.

Now get out there and take whats yours.

Note: Special thanks to C.J. Walkers great granddaughter, A Lelia Bundles, for sharing her writings with the world at www.madamcjwalker.com. And for giving bloggers permission to reference her work. 

The True Meaning of Success

The True Meaning of Success

To laugh often and love much; to win the
respect of intelligent person and the affection
of children; to earn the approbation of honest
citizens and endure the betrayal of false
friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best
in others; to give of one's self; to leave the
world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social
condition; to have played and laughed with
enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know
even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived-
-this is to have succeeded.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson