The Little Plant that Could

Most of us have heard or read the story, “The Little Engine that Could.”  I want to share a story about “I think-I-can” plants.

My husband and I walk five days a week for exercise in our local mall.  It is a small mall, single story, ½ mile around the entire inside.  It is nice looking, with many large potted plants, mostly some type of palm.  A few months ago, we noticed they had added a few plants, more palms.  The new ones, however, had no leaves.  They were simply trunks with thick, tough, rather unattractive bark.  We thought it was rather odd.

As weeks went by, we began to notice little bumps in the bark.  As time went on, we saw tiny little leaves that had pushed themselves through the bark.  We were fascinated, because they were very delicate leaves and the bark was really thick.

More weeks passed, and a couple of the palms had actually grown into plants with many leaves.  We grew to like these plants, but we noticed that the two nearest the door were not growing well.  In fact, the tiny leaves that were there one day were gone the next.  This particular door is in an alcove and is the least used door.  We began to suspect that someone was breaking off these tiny leaves.

We have now reached the point where we are cheering for the two plants with no leaves.  Then, lo and behold, earlier this week there were bumps in the bark and today, a tiny bit of green is showing on each of the bumps.  Those plants refuse to give up.  No matter how many times someone tries to stop those leaves from growing out, those plants keep on sprouting replacements.

I’ll bet you know where I’m going with this, don’t you?  And, I’ll bet you are right!

Those tough, never-say-die palm plants are not quitters.  No matter what nature or man throws at them, they keep coming back!  That bark is so thick, and it seems that someone does not want them to succeed in growing their leaves.  However, those palms appear to be determined to grow no matter how long it takes.

I won’t continue with this story since you all know the moral by now.  I will suggest to everyone starting out with their home business, to simply follow the example of these tough little plants. 

  

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

The REAL Memorial Day

For many in the United States, Memorial Day has become a day off work, barbecues and family gathers.  This holiday is so much more, and I hope all Americans will take at least a moment to remember and thank those who died so we could enjoy these events.

I read this brief history of Memorial Day at this site:  http://www.memorialdayquotes.com/.

“Memorial Day is a public holiday in the United States of America. It is observed on last Monday of May, which is 27 May in 2013.

Memorial Day was first enacted in memory of the soldiers who fought in the American Civil War but later, Memorial Day was expanded to commemorate the soldiers who fought in all American wars, including the World Wars.

Memorial Day is also called Decoration Day. On Memorial Day people visit the graves and cemeteries to honor the memory of the soldiers who laid their lives to protect their country. The U.S. flag is usually flown at half-staff from dawn to noon. Flags are also placed at the grave sites in national cemeteries. The National Memorial Day Concert is held on the lawns of the United States Capitol. Music is performed to honor the memory of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the country.”

I found this collection of quotes about the holiday here:  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_memorialday.html#zmTfYHgl5lyWzVOP.99 

Memorial Day this year is especially important as we are reminded almost daily of the great sacrifices that the men and women of the Armed Services make to defend our way of life.  Robin Hayes  

As America celebrates Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who have given their lives in our nation's wars.   John M. McHugh 

137 years later, Memorial Day remains one of America's most cherished patriotic observances. The spirit of this day has not changed - it remains a day to honor those who died defending our freedom and democracy.   Doc Hastings 

While there are towns and cities still planning Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some think the day is for honoring anyone who has died, not just those fallen in service to our country.   Allen West 

Nowadays, many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At cemeteries across the country, the graves of the fallen are sadly ignored, and worse, neglected.  Allen West 

On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation! — Thomas William Parsons, Dirge for One Who Fell in Battle

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. — Francis Amasa Walker

For love of country they accepted death. — James A. Garfield

And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier’s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave. — Joseph Rodman Drake, To the Defenders of New Orleans

The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree. — Thomas Campbell, Stanzas

Thank you all who fought and died so that we could live with the freedom we enjoy today.

Biblical Humor

It doesn't hurt to have a little Biblical humor.... 

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth? 
A. Ruthless. 

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany? 
A. German Shepherds. 

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible? 
A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation. 

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible? 
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a 
little prophet. 

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible? 
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph 
was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles 
were all in one Accord. 

Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible? 
A. Samson. He brought the house down. 

Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden? 
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home. 

Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible? 
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once. 

Q. Which area of Middle East was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan. The banks were always overflowing. 

Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible? 
A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep. 

Q. Which Bible character had no parents? 
A. Joshua, son of Nun. 

Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark? 
A. Because Noah was standing on the deck. (Groan) 

PS... Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee? 
Yup, it's in the Bible. It says, "He-brews"

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

The Boss is Looking over Your Shoulder

One of the not-so-fun things about being an employee is that there is often someone looking over your shoulder. Your employer may even give annual performance reviews. 

It has been about a decade since I last had a boss.  I’ve worked for myself, and I am actually tougher on myself than any employer I ever had. 

It can be challenging for those just starting out with their own business to complete all their daily tasks.   Many home business owners have difficulty with time management.  I often suggest that my team members write out a work schedule to help them accomplish everything each day, week or month. 

I recently read an article that basically said the same thing, but the terminology they used was better than mine.  In the article, the home business owner suggested that we follow a routine each day.  Just getting started each day (going “to work”) can be difficult for some.  If we have a regular routine, however, it is less challenging.

I never thought about it before I read the article, but I have a routine that I follow nearly every work day.  My morning routine is about the same as if I was working a “job.”  I am an early riser and get up and have breakfast with my husband while we catch up on the TV news.  I then shower and get dressed.  I don’t wear heels and a dress, but I dress neatly, fix my hair and wear makeup. 

My husband and I then go to our local mall to walk for 30 minutes.  This time together with no phones, no email or other interruptions is physically good for us; and it is our “alone time” when we discuss various topics and connect.  It is a good way to start the day.

We arrive home at about 8 AM, and it is time for me to “go to work.”  I go to my home office, and my work routine begins.  I read and respond to my email first.  I write a blog five days a week after processing my email.  When I have new team members who need training, I schedule training sessions for late morning if it works for them. 

I do not “advertise” my business very much, but I participate quite a bit on forums and network marketing websites.  I’ve been in my current business over two years and have accumulated a variety of networking sites that are good places to “brand myself.”  I also enjoy visiting and sharing information with other members on these sites.  The forum members learn from each other and help one another promote their businesses. 

I spend time daily on three sites.  I visit a few others less frequently, a couple times a week.  My business is network marketing, so I must be flexible.  I sometimes receive calls from prospects and team members. I handle the calls and return to my routine. I won’t go through my entire day, because I’m sure you get the idea.

Home business owners who are disorganized and cannot manage their time are unlikely to be successful.  Self-motivation is also required since there is no boss looking over their shoulder to be sure they are working.  Working a home business is not for everyone, but for those of us who are able to “be their own boss,” the rewards are many.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

Are We Safe Anywhere?

With the disastrous tornado that hit Oklahoma this week, it got me thinking.  Why would people rebuild there, when similar incidents have occurred in the past. That’s a silly question really.  Where can we live in the United States that doesn’t experience natural disasters?  Curious, I decided to do a little research. According to the Institute for Business & Home Safety, every location in the country is exposed to one disaster or another.  However, there are places that are less susceptible than others to natural hazards. Sperling’s Best Places, a data collection company, compiled weather and disaster data for over 300 major US cities.  I was surprised to find that Honolulu, Hawaii was at the top of the list as the safest place to live (in regard to natural disasters).  I thought they experienced frequent hurricanes.

Hawaii can experience hurricanes, but major ones are rare and have caused mainly localized damage with little loss of life. They also have a few brush fires, but in recent years no major ones burning down homes or injuring anyone.   I found it interesting that volcanoes weren’t even mentioned, but it is likely that those who live in the path of eruptions expect them periodically and are prepared to evacuate.

The State of Hawaii is not prone to tornadoes, wind, hail or extreme weather. According to Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), between 1972 and 2000, Hawaii had only 12 major disasters declared. That's relatively low compared to states like Texas, where 51 major disasters were declared in the same period, or California, which had 45.

Boise, Idaho and Santa Fe, New Mexico are relatively safe places to live, as are a few cities in Oregon and Washington State.  Even though natural disasters are less frequent in the Pacific Northwest, those who live there know that their area is not truly secure.  Potential natural hazards in the Norwest include tsunamis, earthquakes and volcano activity.  None of these has happened in recent years, but the possibility is there. 

The least safe places to live tend to be in the South or Coastal areas.  At the very bottom of the list for dramatic weather events is Monroe, Louisiana, where they experience frequent damaging wind and hail.  Dallas, Texas, also has lots of wind and hail and is prone to tornadoes.  Also not a safe place to live is Florida, where they experienced four major hurricanes in the summer of 2004 alone. Jackson, Mississippi, is hit by twisters with some regularity and West Palm/Beach-Boca Raton, Florida, frequently is hit by hurricanes.

Although the topic is controversial, according to many scientists, increased “global warming” will lead to more hurricanes per year, resulting in greater loss of life and property. 

Here are a few safety rankings (based on a study of 331 cities) for other large metropolitan areas.  The lower the number, the safer it is.  Honolulu, Hawaii’s rank is 1.  Washington, D.C., 153; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 246; Monroe, Louisiana, 292; Los Angeles/Long Beach, California, 282; New York, New York, 207; and Chicago, Illinois, 237.

I did no research outside the United States, so I don’t know if there are much safer places to live in other countries.  I now understand better why people continue to rebuild in areas that regularly experience natural disasters.  If they go somewhere else, they will likely just trade one type of catastrophe for another.

The Day of the Discount Plan

I recently read two articles that were really interesting that demonstrate the continued, and in fact, increasing need for Discount Health Care plans.  One article was from the online magazine “LifeHealthPro,” a publication for insurance agents; and the other was from the online version of “The Wall Street Journal.”  These are both highly regarded publications.

Much of the information will come from those two articles.  You can read them in their entirety at http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/05/14/ammo-against-ppaca-medical-discount-cards   and http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2013/05/20/the-morning-ledger-employers-eye-bare-bones-health-plans/

With the upcoming health care reforms, more and more employers are turning to medical discount cards as a way to provide fair benefits to their employees without spending a fortune.  When the discount cards first were introduced decades ago, there was no regulation.  Eventually, the reputable companies selling discount benefit cards formed the Consumer Health Alliance to establish standards for the industry. 

According to http://ConsumerHealthAlliance.com:  “Millions of consumers across the United States access discount health services offered through associations, senior organizations, educational groups, businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and unions among others. Entities currently offering discount health programs include" the following and many more.

Aetna                                           City of El Paso                     American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees                                  Wells Fargo                          University of Pittsburgh Medical Center MA Plan

Compass Bank                            Bank of America                  American Legion Auxiliary                                

Citigroup                                      Civil Air Patrol                      National Association of Independent Truckers 

E-Bay                                          Texas Farm Bureau             Guaranteed Trust Life Insurance

Gymboree                                   Yeshiva University               Health Insurance Plan of New York

Wachovia                                    Panera Bread                       Houston Independent School District               

Prudential                                  SunTrust                            Texas State Teachers Association                        

Transamerica                              Trustmark Insurance          United American

Tricare                                                                                      Marine Corps Association                  

Urban Outfitters                                                                        Sears Employee Federal Credit Union

The number of Health Insurance Agents selling Discount Health plans, in addition to traditional Health Insurance, is increasing dramatically.   As employers prepare for the full enactment of “Obamacare,” they are realizing that they can avoid penalties under the law by offering “bare-bones” insurance plans that may lack benefits such as hospital coverage, pre-natal care, surgery or X-rays. 

Because so many people will have these “better-than-nothing” insurance plans, the much more affordable Discount Health plans can fill the gap, offering great discounts on those benefits not provided by their health insurance.

I am in the right business at the right time.  As an Affiliate Business Owner with Xpress Healthcare, I am privileged to be able to help those who have no insurance or whose employers offer them only minimal benefits.  Since the four plans we offer cover a variety of different benefits and are priced between $19.95 per immediate family to $49.90 per immediate family, nearly everyone can afford them.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

Recruiting is not Enough

Leader = somebody whom people follow; someone who guides or directs others.

A few days ago, a team member in my downline called me to tell me she had canceled.  I’ll call her Jane.  Jane then said she planned to re-join, but directly to me.  Normally if a returning team member does not want to sign under their previous sponsor, I encourage them to re-sign with them anyway.  I tell them that I will still work with them, and I’ll still get paid the same.

In this situation, I did not encourage Jane to re-join with her previous who I’ll call Susan.  Susan is a couple levels below me.  I did not recruit or train her.  She explained to me that she had not heard from Susan even once since she joined our company. She had also tried contacted Susan herself, but was never able to reach her.

Although it has improved, network marketing still fights the long-held poor reputation to a degree.  When Susan recruited and then abandoned Jane, she contributed to that poor reputation.  I too joined a company several years ago and never had help from anyone to teach me the business.  It is frustrating to say the least.

Jane did what she felt was best for her.  She really wants to grow her business, building a team and selling our products.  Without someone training her, however, she knew she could not do that.   

I really do not understand why network marketers bother recruiting anyone if they don’t really want an actual team.  They can earn money just selling their product or service without recruiting if they don’t like training or helping team members.

Susan has been in network marketing for a long time.  She knows the industry and what is required, and yet she recruited only a few people who quit soon after.  Until now I didn’t realize why her team members quit so quickly.

In network marketing, team leaders must realize that they have to l-e-a-d!  So, again I say, a leader is somebody whom people follow; someone who guides or directs others.  Recruiting team members is not enough.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

Decisions, Decisions...

There are many things to consider when you’re looking for a network marketing business.  There are so many options available today that choosing one can be daunting.

I believe that you can only be successful with a company if you are passionate about their product or service.  If you cannot sell the products due to lack of enthusiasm, all the rest of the considerations mean nothing.

Be sure you believe in the product and that there is a high demand at a reasonable price for whatever you will be selling?  Conduct a “Google” search on the product name to see what responses are generated.

Do your due diligence, lots of research on any company in which you may be interested.  When you do an Internet search of the company, look for red flags.  Are there negative posts about the company or many complaints posted by former distributors?  Most companies have a few complaints, but if there are a lot, run the other way!

Your research should include the management/ownership of the company.  Did they own another company that failed in the past?  Have you seen negative information about them?

Do you like the compensation plan the company offers?  Do you fully understand it?  Some people like working with companies that offer a variety of ways you can earn money; others like simple, straightforward comp plans.  Does the compensation plan fit into your long-term goals?

Once you have completed your “homework” about the company itself, you’ll want to choose wisely who you want for your sponsor.  Which team leader you select can make a difference as to whether or not you are successful in your business.

It is important to select a team that offers support and training in the basics of growing your business – both on and offline.  To select a prospective sponsor or team leader, you can do an Internet search on the business name to see which names come up the most and are ranked highest in the search.  Select two or three people, and search for blogs they have written, forums in which they participate and videos they have created.  You can learn a great deal about a person from their blogs, forum posts and videos.

You may want to connect with those few prospective sponsors on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to learn more about them.  If they permit it, attend a couple training calls with the team.  Learning about the person with whom you’ll be working can go a long way toward making the best choice.

If you take your time and are thorough when researching your next business, team and sponsor, the possibility of building a strong network marketing business increases greatly.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com. 

I grew up in a mostly “all-white” community.  In my high school, although there may have been, I don’t remember any non-whites.  I believe that more than half the students were Jewish.  Since my first office job was in downtown Los Angeles, working for the County of Los Angeles, there was a wide array of races, religions and nationalities.
 My first adult best friend was Japanese, born in one of the “Internment Camps” during WWII.   Her parents had owned a nice home and a grocery store.  They were given one week to sell both before placed in the camp.  Of course, they lost both their home and store. In Europe millions of Jews and other non-Jewish victims, including Catholics, homosexuals, gypsies and more, died at the hand of Hitler and his followers.  They didn’t fit into Hitler’s “Master Race.” When I was a child, I remember my aunt, referring to her Black maid, saying, “I’m not prejudice, I even let Vera eat dinner with us.”  I didn’t understand that then, and I don’t understand it now. My father served in the army during WWII.  When a soldier in the same barracks as my dad learned that my father was Jewish said to him, “You can’t be Jewish.”  When my father asked why not, the soldier replied, “Because you don’t have a tail.”  He was raised to believe that all Jews had tails, and he truly believed it. I could go on and on about times throughout history where particular groups of people were tortured, killed, singled out or treated as property or second-class citizens. There are different words used to describe it - prejudice, bigotry, bias, racist, discrimination, stereotyping, and more – but all are basically the same behavior, an attitude or actual negative actions toward a particular group of people based solely on the fact that they belong to that group. Prejudice arises out of ignorance, although environment and upbringing certainly may contribute to it.  It is ugly.  It is irrational.  I believe it is a behavior born of fear and cowardice.  Bigotry drives people to take evil, pointless actions against other groups or individuals. I do not know now, and I never did, how any human being can think they are better than any other human being or that any one particular group of people can be considered “less than” any other group.
 I am less educated than many people, smarter than others.  I am plainer than some people, more attractive than others.  I am kinder than thousands of people, far less charitable and giving than millions of others.  I am simply me, no better or worse than any single group of individuals.
 Whoever you are, wherever you were born, no matter your sexual orientation, whatever your beliefs and to whichever race you belong, I believe that I am no better or worse as a person than you. Although I doubt it will ever happen, I pray that one day prejudice will fade into non-existence.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

Relationships

Interesting word, relationships.  It can mean so many different things.  As children, we had a relationship with our parents. Loving them, adoring them, admiring them and wanting to be like them when we grew up. (No, I’m not that naïve. I know that not everyone has a wonderful childhood, but I’m generalizing here.) When we reached school age, we began making friends at school. Friendly relationships through which we learned social skills and how to care for people outside our own family. As teenagers, we then began dating. Another entirely different kind of relationship. Maybe we even began to feel a new kind of love for someone, at least we believed we did at the time. We may even have had our hearts broken in a “boy-girl” relationship. Once we got into the “working world,” we began learning how to act in entirely new types of relationships. The boss-employee relationship. The co-worker relationship. The subordinate relationship. A whole new set of social skills, along with learning our actual job. Some of us had to cope with competition with a co-worker for a position, or we dealt with slackers in the office where we got stuck with their work. The climb to the top created some very challenging relationships for some of us. At some point between the dating and where we are today, many of us fell seriously in love, perhaps married and had children. We (hopefully) learned what compromising meant. We learned much more about how to give in a relationship. And our roles were reversed from when we were children. Our children then believed we could do no wrong and nothing could happen to them as long as we were there. (OK, I’ll admit, this period ends pretty abruptly when our kids reached their teens.) Those of us who now have our own business, network marketers, have at least attempted to learn about this whole new world of relationships. We are building relationships with people we have never met and likely never will. This networking relationship is completely new and different from any we’ve ever experienced. This is a “blended” relationship, sometimes strictly business. Other times, the relationships build into actual friendships. We care about one another, this distant person in another city, another state, even another country. Another type of relationship I’ve developed over the past few years is with others in network marketing. I have people on my network marketing team for whom I care deeply. I’ve also developed relationship with people I have met on various forums, many of whom I consider friends.  In fact, I find a great deal in common with my team members and others with home businesses, because I’m in a place in my life where my network marketing career is very important to me.  I believe my online friends understand this. Relationships. An interesting word.  ************************ Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance). To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.

Bye-Bye Hotmail

I just read an article on the following website that surprised me a bit.  You may find the news interesting as well.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/0503/Hotmail-officially-dead.-Microsoft-moves-millions-to-Outlook.com

More than a decade and a half after it was first introduced, Hotmail is officially no more. 

In a blog post yesterday, Microsoft announced it had completed the upgrade of hundreds of millions of users from the old Hotmail platform to the new Outlook.com – a process, according to Microsoft, that involved transferring 150 million gigabytes of data. Hotmail account holders will be able to keep their old Hotmail address, and all settings on Hotmail mobile and Web apps will automatically be updated. 

The jettisoning of Hotmail – and the introduction of the sleek, shiny Outlook.com – is an effort to bring Microsoft's mail service up to date with the Windows 8 operating system. 

Naturally, though, the move hasn't made everyone happy. Some users have circulated petitions asking Microsoft to preserve Hotmail; others have createdFacebook pages or taken to Microsoft forums to express their frustrations. ("The forced 'upgrades' have begun," one forum-goer recently wrote. "But I simply will not lie down and say, 'Yes, Microsoft, I like this because you tell me I should.' ") 

In a blog post yesterday, Microsoft's Dick Craddock acknowledged that when any "widely-us

ed consumer service makes any substantial change," people are going to kick up a fuss. But Craddock urged users to give the new Outlook a chance. 

"It's gratifying in a sense because it means those customers loved the previous set of changes we made," he wrote. "With a communication service that is constantly evolving, we try to strike the right balance between bringing out major improvements and keeping true to what our customers love. Our belief is that as people start using the new experience, they will come to love it even more than they loved Hotmail." 

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

Your Greatest Accomplishment

Everyone likes a pat on the back every once in a while. And there’s no better time to get one than when you are challenging yourself, maybe nervous about whether you can succeed or just doing something that is normally out of your comfort zone.

Most people join a company to start their home business very excited.  When they don’t see results right away, some begin to question themselves or consider quitting, thinking they may have made a mistake joining to begin with. 

Instead of this negative approach, look at your goals from a position of "possibilities" instead.  Find ways to praise yourself for little things you do in your business.  Give yourself words of encouragement.  Instead of focusing on what is NOT yet happening, try paying more attention to what IS happening. 

To sustain your excitement toward your business and continue to be motivated, the positive approach will keep you going forward.  Self-praise creates a feeling of doing something you want to do, not what you’re forcing yourself to do. Even your smallest accomplishments should make you proud!

Set lots of little goals.  Sure, you have your dream, your “why,” your major goal, but that will likely take some time to reach.  The excitement of reaching each of your little goals will motivate you to try even more new and different things.

·        You wrote your first blog?  Great, that deserves a cheer! 

·        Did you speak to your first prospect?  Good job! 

·        How about posting your first ad?  That’s a step toward your first sale! 

·        Did you participate in company training calls or webinars?  Many people do not, so praise yourself for it.

·        Did you have people visit your website or profile today?  Woohoo!  You did something right to drive them there.

Compliment yourself.  Write down what you would say to anyone else who accomplished what you just did.  You can even keep a journal of your accomplishments.  It is a great feeling to look back months later and see how far you have come.

Be sure to tell your sponsor what you have done.  He or she will want to share your excitement!  I am so proud of my team members when they do something new, challenge themselves or make a sale.

Decide from the start that “quitting is NOT an option,” and begin recognizing your growth and accomplishments.  With a positive outlook, your business will grow, and you’ll be able to look back and be amazed!

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

The Vision, the Big Picture

Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition of the “Big Picture" is: "The entire perspective on a situation or issue.”  Another definition I found online is, “an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present.

When it comes to network marketing, there are many great companies, even more good companies and there are companies that likely won’t be around next year.  For the distributors/representatives who join even a great network marketing company, only those who have “the vision” of where the company is headed will succeed. 

Many network marketing companies pay residual commission, paying their reps each month for sales they make on all active accounts.  Those who can see “the big picture” realize that in the future, they will be earning huge sums of money, that six or seven-figure income for which most are striving. 

Let’s say a company pays their affiliates $10 residual income for each active sale.  Sadly, the majority of them will not remain with the company long enough for those $10 payments to accumulate, to multiply into $10,000, $20,000, or $100,000.  It takes patience, persistence and perseverance to continue working while growing a business.

The big picture, unfortunately, is invisible and abstract.  We cannot see it, touch it or smell it.  It can only be comprehended with our minds.  We must be able to visualize the big picture, imagine the company in five, ten, or twenty years.

Steve Jobs, who I believe everyone agrees was an amazing visionary, once said, "Do something that contributes greatly to society… When that is achieved, material benefits will follow by itself. "

If a network marketer truly believes they are working with a company whose product or service can make a difference in people’s lives, they likely will be able to make sales.  But unless they have “the vision” of where their company is going, they likely will not be with that same company in five years.

Do you have the vision for your company?  Does the big picture in your mind reflect a prosperous future for you and the company? If not, you may need an “attitude adjustment” or a new company.

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