You Are the TOPS!

It has been over a decade, 12 years to be exact, since I was what some would call a zaftig woman.  “Somehow” the weight had crept up on me before I realized that I was definitely “chunky.”  I made the discovery after seeing myself in a photo on a cruise with the Captain.  I was all dressed up, hair fixed, makeup on, and I looked terrible!

What to do?  I started researching my area for weight loss groups. I knew I couldn’t do it alone.   I mean no disrespect to anyone who sells weight-loss products, but I believe the only really healthy way to lose weight is by eating less and exercising.  There are even exercises for people who cannot stand!  

I found a group called TOPS, Take off Pounds Sensibly.  It is the oldest weight loss group in the world, yep, older that Weight Watchers.  The cool part is it is a non-profit support group.  They don’t require you to follow any particular diet.  They have speakers each week that do presentations about health-related subjects, and everyone supports everyone else.  Members weigh in once a week.  It is amazing, but it costs only $70 a year (some chapters a little less, some a bit more).  I have seen several TOPS members lose 85 to 100 pounds by following a healthy diet and attending meetings for support.

After my very TOPS first meeting, I began losing weight.  Since TOPS members can choose whatever diet they like, I chose using the “exchange” system, weighing and measuring my food.  It wasn’t easy.  It took me several months, but I finally reached the goal weight established by my doctor.  Over the years, as I got older, my physician raised my goal weight just a bit, and I have maintained that weight for over 11 years.

Then, along came health issues.  I was referred to a Cardiologist and am under his care.  During my last visit, he told me he wants me to lose another 10 to 15 pounds to put less stress on my heart. 

I am now 12 years older than when I first joined TOPS.  For the past three months, I have been struggling with trying to lose that weight.  My metabolism is slower now; I am no longer able to do the vigorous exercises I did when I was younger.  The only exercise I am allowed to do is walking, and I can only manage ½ hour at a time with my health problems.

I can tell you all these reasons why I have not lost any weight, but I realize that they are excuses.  Although I eat reasonable amounts of food, mostly healthy food, I have not gotten back into the weighing and measuring all my food that worked so well for me years ago.  I haven’t been able to “psyche” myself into doing what I know I need to do.  Even knowing that it isn’t good for my heart hasn’t given me the “kick in the rear” that I need.

So, I am putting this in writing, hoping that seeing it and letting “the world” know that I need to lose some weight might, just might give me the incentive to start losing today!

http://julie.joinxpress.com

Another Sleepless Night

I am really tired today.  I have been trying to work, but I am unable to focus.  I cannot seem to concentrate on much of anything.

My mind has been way too busy lately.  Occasionally life "gets in the way."  So, I have had a few sleepless nights.  Last night was one of the worst I have had.

I went to bed pretty early, because I was nearly falling asleep watching TV.  As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was wide awake! 

It was hot in the room, so I got up and turned on the fan.  Still too warm, so I threw off the blanket.  Then, with the blanket off, the fan was blowing too hard, so I got up again and turned it down.  No luck.  I won’t even get into the number of times I visited the “loo” throughout the night.

I am an avid reader, so I thought I would read in bed until I fell asleep.  My bed-light bulb was burned out (now replaced), so I got a flashlight and read for a few minutes.  It was uncomfortable trying to hold the book and use a flashlight at the same time.  So, I took my book and went to the living room. 

On the couch, I read a few minutes when I realized I was both hungry and thirsty.  I dragged myself off the couch and got a glass of water and a couple crackers.  I felt a bit better, so I began reading again. 

Reading my book in a cool room, I began to relax.  Looking at the clock, I saw that it was past 3 AM.  Sometime after that, I dozed off for a few minutes.  When I woke up, it was nearly 4 AM. 

I left the couch and returned to my bed where I finally fell asleep.  I awoke at about 6:30 AM.  Normally a very early riser, this was really very late for me. 

So, here I sit knowing I should be working, but mostly staring at the computer monitor.  Hmm.  I’d better figure out a way to quiet my mind before bedtime tonight.  

To learn more about Julie Klein, visit http://julie.joinxpress.com

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"A goal properly set is halfway reached." Abraham Lincoln

Research tells us that when we write down a goal we are more likely to achieve it. Since written goals can be reviewed regularly, they have more long-range power. Goals are not a dream that you hope to achieve.  Goals are like a contract with yourself that you WILL achieve.  When you write your goals, they should be:

1. Present Tense. State goals as though they are being realized right now, or have already been attained. Our subconscious minds only operate in the present. If you create goals in the future tense, your subconscious will never get there.
2. Positive. State goals in positive rather than negative terms. ("I am a neat and organized person," rather than, "I am no longer disorganized.")
3. Personal. Goals must be about you, and under your control, not about someone else.
4. Precise. Write goals in a manner that clearly describe what you intend to accomplish.  Do NOT say “I want to earn enough to quit my job.” Instead, say exactly how much monthly income it will take you to enable you to quit your job. $500 per week?  $3000 per month?  For example, your goal may be: “I am working my business so I’ll be earning $3000 per month by March 31, 2013.”  You can decide on a date, or break it down into mini goals by weeks, months or within 24 months.
5. Possible. Goals should be realistic. Achieving them must be within the realm of possibility.  If you’ve never written any business with your company, don’t write down a goal that you’ll make 100 sales by the end of the month.  While it is not totally impossible, in most businesses, it is not likely.  Instead, use a realistic number, breaking it down by weeks, months or by the end of the year.  For instance:

“I am growing my team by two members by the end of August.”  Then:  “I’m building my team by an additional six members by the end of October.”  Next:  “I’m working my business so I’ll have 12 team members by the end of the year.”  If you surpass that goal, great, but meanwhile, you can actually achieve those goals, and you’ll feel good that you’ve accomplished them.

Repeated victories will result in higher self-esteem and more confidence in setting higher goals, which result in greater productivity.  You also don’t want to set your goals too low.  Your goals should be challenging, but attainable.

6. Deadline.  Give yourself a deadline by which you intend to reach your goal.  As I mentioned, you can break them down by mini goals you’ll reach in days, weeks, months, etc. 
7. No Deadline… Some goals can be about your work habits or schedule, without a deadline.  For instance, if you have not been participating on forums as much as you think you should, one of your goals may be “I am participating in forums one hour three times a week.”
8. You must REALLY want your goal and work every day towards accomplishing your goal. If you are wishy-washy about whether or not you achieve your goal, you likely will not do so.
   
   Even if you have no time during the day to take action towards your goal, you can take a few minutes to visualize it. Constantly visualizing yourself accomplishing your goal is a powerful way to help achieve it.

Place written goals where you will see them at least twice a day. If possible, read them aloud and visualize each one.

To learn more about Julie and her business, visit http://julie.joinxpress.com/business.html/blogger

I believe that each of us wants to be a winner in our own minds.  But, what is a winner?  If you’re playing golf, if you win the game, you are a winner.  Does that also mean that if you lose the game, you are a loser?  Is a winner the guy who gets the job for which he applied, or is it the guy who gets the job and proves himself brilliantly?

Are Bill Gates, Gandhi or Mother Theresa winners?  Vincent van Gogh has gone down in history as a brilliant artist; however, he sold very few paintings during his life. So, was he truly a winner since he died a loser? 

Who decides whether you, I or anyone else is a loser or a winner?  Who makes the declaration, “And the winner is…”  If you believe in God, perhaps you think that he makes that determination.  Or, perhaps all those famous “success” speakers who give seminars on how to succeed create a list of those who are winners and another for those who are losers. 

Can your friends decide whether or not you are a winner?  Since they are your friends, how important is their opinion about whether they think you are a winner. 

Has it come to you yet?  In reality, who can decide whether or not you are a winner?  In the entire world, there is only one person who has the power to determine your fate.  Only one person can decide whether you are a loser or a winner.  Out of all the human beings on earth, only a single one of them has the right to judge you and change your path in life to become a winner or a loser.

By now, I am certain you realize that it is you, and only you, who directs your life.  Only you have the power to change the direction your life is going and steer it into a different direction.  No one else can even help you make that decision.  They may help you to learn certain tasks or behaviors that will enable you to walk a different path, but they cannot decide for you whether or not you are a winner.

Here is another question to ask yourself.  Do you FEEL like a winner?  That one is a bit more difficult to answer, because most of us don’t feel great about ourselves ALL the time, but we do some of the time.  There are days, weeks, even months when I definitely feel like a winner.  Then, something comes along in my life, and I feel helpless, weak and perhaps even stupid.  It doesn’t usually last long, but it does happen.

What can we do to make ourselves feel like a winner nearly all the time?  Because I do not believe in perfection, I won’t even suggest that we can feel like a winner ALL the time.

Let’s try this…

On a piece of paper, or on a blank page in your computer, begin listing the successes you have had in your life.  Look all the way back to when you were a little kid.  Did you learn to ride a bike or learn to swim?  Success!  Did you work hard and achieve good enough grades to graduate high school?  Success!  Were you successful in college or on your first job?  Did you get a promotion for which you worked hard to earn?  Did you marry the person of your dreams and create a lifelong successful marriage?  Success, success, success!

Now, you have the beginning of your list.  From here on out, each time you achieve a goal, every time you experience a new success, read through your Success List, and then add the new accomplishment to the list. 

Creating and maintaining a list such as this can help us think differently about our own successes.  They are not each isolated events, interlinking all the great things you have done, they become an accumulation of your life’s achievements.  When you look at your list as a whole, there is a great possibility that you will then be able to say, “I am a winner!”

To learn more about Julie and her Xpress Healthcare business, visit:  http://julie.joinxpress.com/xhc1.html?=blogger

Meet My Dear Friend...

I first met my friend Cheryl last December when she joined Xpress Healthcare.  I didn’t sponsor her, but someone on my team did. 

From the first, Cheryl attended every training call offered by her team and the company.  She learned quickly and began to write business.

Cheryl and I began having frequent conversation, getting to know one another and discussing business.  After a few conversations. I came to realize what a special person she is.  She is kind and caring, dedicated to her business and her team.

As time went on, Cheryl continued to grow her team, adding on new members regularly.  Cheryl’s knowledge about our company, our products and working a network marketing business also grew.  After a while, she began guest hosting some of our team calls, and everyone loved her!

I went on a trip to California a couple weeks ago, and since that is where Cheryl lives, we decided that we, along with our husbands, should meet.  We arranged to meet at a restaurant, and from the moment we saw one another, the four of us never stopped talking – and talking – and talking… After what seemed like a short time, we realized we’d been visiting for four hours!  Cheryl’s husband is a sweetheart, and he and my husband had lots to talk about.

I hold team contests each month, and for some, there is only one winner.  On those contests, it is always Cheryl who wins. 

Over the past couple months, Cheryl’s team has exploded!  She has been sponsoring new team members so quickly that I’ve nearly lost count!  She mentors her team members one-on-one, and they just love her as a person and as a team leader.

I anticipate that it will not be long before Cheryl passes her sponsor.  With our company’s comp plan, he and I will be thrilled if she does!

My dear friend is a definite Super Star!

http://julie.joinxpress.com/xhc1.html

What Language Are You Speaking?

Anyone who did not grow up on computers has seen the evolution of our language and methods of marketing.

Think back to about 15 or 20 years ago when no one had yet coined, let alone spoken, so many of the words and terms that today are part of everyday conversations.   The only paper dictionary I own is the same one I used many years ago in college.  Try looking up these recently-created words in a 25-year-old dictionary and you’ll see that most do not appear.

One of my favorite recently- coined words is “blog.” Isn’t that the sound people make right before they “lose their stomach?”  (Sorry, rather gross, I know.)  It isn’t enough that blog is an odd-sounding word, but it started out as a noun and “morphed” into a verb as well.  Right now I am “blogging.”

Before the blog was created, Google came on the scene.  Google is not just a website, but a search “engine.”  Until the early 1990’s, an engine was generally considered “a machine that converted an energy source into mechanical power or motion.”  And then, of course, Google too evolved into a verb, as in, “Why don’t you google it?”

A gigabyte today is commonly known as a gig.  The word “gigabyte” isn’t in my college dictionary, and a gig was defined as a carriage-type vehicle or a boat.  While I am on that subject, gigabyte isn’t in my dictionary either.  Had I heard the word years ago, I believe I would have thought it was some kind of dance.

Another word that was once only a noun but is now a verb is “text.”  “Text me the number.”  “Do not text while driving.” 

I have a friend who has chosen not to have ever used a computer or the internet.  Several years ago, she was adamant about it.  In the last year or so, however, she says she feels as though people are speaking a foreign language on television.  What TV program or product sold on TV today doesn’t have a Facebook page and its own website? 

I could probably write a Kindle book about all the newly created words… A book that contains no paper or fiber of any kind?  I guess that will have to wait for another article (a word that still means what it always did!).

To learn more about Julie and her business, Xpress Healthcare, visit:  http://julie.joinxpress.com/business.html