I do xxx really well...

Everyone has some skill, special quality or talent, whether it be personal or business related, musical or artistic, or myriad other things.

So, I was thinking a few days ago about my own skills, qualities or talents.  I’ll be revealing a bit about myself here, both good and bad.  I do not sew, knit or crochet.  I am a decent, although not great cook. 

I have two hobbies: 

Genealogy – I have been researching my family and my husbands’ family for 30+ years.  I have made many wonderful discoveries.  It is an exciting and frustrating hobby.  So, yes, I have accomplished a great deal with genealogy, but I am also a bit lazy about it. During the last 10 years or so, all my research is done on the Internet, so I am discovering what other people found before me.

Beading – I just took it up this year, and I make necklaces for myself, not to sell.  I have not mastered putting the clasp on properly, but I do get compliments on them.

I raised two fine young men alone since my first husband died when they were young.  I did the best I could with the knowledge I had at the time, but I would do many things differently if I could go back and change them.  My kids went through lots of crises in their lives, for which I am only slightly responsible.  Mostly, knowing the difference between right and wrong, they made many poor choices in their teen years. However, I apparently was a decent mother since my sons have become good men.

Looking back over the years, one thing stands out that I have done and continue to do is something I didn’t even realize I did until recently.   I have always been a leader of sorts.  I created and ran organizations.  I was a supervisor on most of my jobs, training and assisting others.  I currently am the leader of a rather large team of network marketers.  After giving it some thought, I see that one of my greatest skills is that when I am training and supervising people, I am able to remember what it was like to know nothing about the task I am teaching.  I train and supervise well, because I am patient with those I train. 

I have been “taught” jobs and tasks by people throughout the years who knew the job so well that they seemed to believe that I did as well.  They taught me as though I already knew whatever it was they were teaching me.  That is one of my strongest skills and abilities.  I am a pretty good mentor and team leader.

It took me the better part of a lifetime to realize that I have this ability.  Now that I am aware of this talent, I must admit that I am proud of myself.

What is a normal childhood?  What is a normal family?  What is a dysfunctional family?

I have heard friends tell me about the abuse they suffered as children.  A couple of them were beaten, others were sexually abused by some family member, and still others were verbally abused.

I have always said that I had a fairly “normal” childhood.  Back then, spanking was acceptable, and I was spanked a few times, not beaten, spanked.  My dad threatened to beat me with a belt, but he never did.  Is that verbal abuse?

I would say that when I was a young child, we were at the low end of middle class.  As I grew up, by the time I was in my teens, we had moved more solidly into middle class.  My dad worked a few different jobs throughout my childhood before eventually opening a wonderful, very successful restaurant which he owned for 25 years before retiring. 

We were able to take trips, and my dad made them so much fun.  Wherever we went, he knew the history and stories to tell relating to our surroundings.

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My sisters both got involved with drugs for several years, so there were some screaming matches between them and my parents.  There were years – particularly when I and my sisters were in our teens - when there was a lot of drama in the family, lots of yelling. 

My dad worshipped my mother, so if any of us kids did anything to hurt her, he exploded!  My dad had quite a temper when he was a young man, mellowing as he grew older.  He never beat us, but he threw things and yelled a lot.  Heaven forbid if we woke him up on his day off! 

My brother came along when I was 11 years old, 7 ½ years younger than my younger sister.  The family dynamics changed.  We all adored our baby brother.  Because we were all older than him, it was almost as though he was raised as an only child by much more mature parents.  And, he was the only boy. 

My older sister was married and out of the house when my brother was only five, a few years later, I was married and gone, then my younger sister married and was gone.  I never lived with my brother when he was a teenager, but I am certain it wasn’t nearly as chaotic as when my sisters and I were teens.

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Many families I know are avid church goers, so that is a large part of their childhood, and it certainly has to have an effect on their family’s behavior.  Because I grew up in the 60’s, the “love generation,” I knew people who OD’d and died. I had friends who did drugs, but I was never tempted for some reason. I grew up in the same home as my sisters, but they were really “messed up” with drugs for some years. 

Today, the composition of a family is also very different from years ago.  Divorce is much more common, so there are step parents and step children.  There are parents of the same gender raising children together, some getting married. (Nope, I will not touch the religious or political aspects of this.)  Since my first husband died when my children were very young, I raised my own sons as a single mom. 

All these different family combinations are very different than in generations past.  Right or wrong?  Good or bad?  Everyone has their own opinion on that.  My opinion will remain my own.

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However, to return to my original questions, how can we measure “normal?”  Can normal mean something completely different to you than it does to me?

Although there was some craziness in my family, I still believe that I had a normal childhood.  How about you?

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

Let it Be

The Beatles were one of my all-time favorite groups.  It is amazing to realize that they were only together, as a group, for about 10 years, breaking up the group in 1970.  They were well-known in the United States for only about six of those years.  Here we are over forty years later, and their music remains popular.

Of their many songs, among my favorites was “Let it Be.”  I liked it even more after I learned the meaning behind the song.

The song was written by Sir Paul McCartney.  The inspiration for the song came from a dream he had.  Paul’s mother had died of cancer when he was only 14 years old.  Ten or so years later, he had a dream.  In it, he was feeling very anxious and paranoid, and his mother came to him, “speaking words of wisdom,” telling him to “let it be.”  He considered it a very sweet dream, and it brought him great peace.  From this Sir Paul was inspired to write the song, “Let it Be.”

Paul has stated that, at the time he wrote it, he realized that Christians would think the “Mother Mary” in the song was a biblical reference.  In fact, however, his mother’s name was Mary.

George Harrison and John Lennon, of course, have passed away.  To my knowledge Ringo Starr is still with us, but I haven’t seen him in several years.  Sir Paul is the only one of The Beatles appearing on television with some regularity, and he still performs concerts. 

There was “The King,” Elvis Presley and then The Beatles who were magnificent performers and super stars, loved in many countries.  I believe that they alone are still selling many records about two generations later.

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

I never watched very many sports, except for baseball when my Dad was alive.  I enjoyed going to Dodger games with him.  My husband and I have gone to three Diamondbacks games in the 17 years we have lived in Arizona.  We live more than 200 miles from where they play.

My husband isn’t a huge sports fan either, although he will occasionally watch football, golf or tennis.  He doesn’t follow any teams.

I am, however, an avid Olympics fan.  I don’t enjoy watching every sport – wrestling and skeet shooting, for instance, I find totally boring.  However, unless I am working, during every waking hour, I am glued to the television watching the Olympics.  My husband finds me amusing to watch, because I jump up and down, cheering and yelling at the TV.  It is so exciting to me.

So, I was thinking about why – non-sports fan that I am – I love watching and following the Olympics.  After really giving it some thought, I came up with two reasons.

One.  When watching the Olympics, we are watching young men and women who have spent many years of their lives training, dedicating their lives to their sport.  We are watching some of the best athletes in the world, and some who are not so great, but even they have worked for years to qualify for the Olympics.  Some are incredible athletes who have excelled at their sport, and at the Olympics, their performance doesn’t live up to the abilities.  I feel so sorry for them to have come all this way only to disappoint themselves.

All this they have done as amateurs.  They will not be paid money for all the work they have done.  (I realize, of course, that most are supported by sponsors, their families, etc.) They have done it for their country and the glory of the sport.  Some of the top stars will be paid for endorsing products, television appearances and such, but they did not get involved or practice for years on end for that reason.  Instead, it is the result of their achieving greatness and performance at the Olympics.

The second thing that I believe attracts me to the Olympics is my patriotism for my country, the United States of America.  I am so proud of the U.S. Olympic Teams.  I watch them perform, what often seems to me, impossible feats and I scream and yell and cheer MY team on!  When one of our team members wins a race by 100^th of a second, I am thrilled!  When they lose by 100^th of a second, I am saddened.

Once I realized this, it made perfect sense to me.  For those of you who are sports fans, this is my perspective, my opinion, the way I see it…

Many professional athletes earn multi-millions of dollars.  Professional athletes also worked very hard to get to the professional ranks.  However, their goal was to make their sport a career.  I am certain they love their sports too.  However, their goals and reasons for performing well are different.

So, I will continue watching the Olympics this year and every four years thereafter as these young Olympians continue to demonstrate to the children and adults watching them the meaning of dedication, determination and patriotism.

To read about Julie Klein and her home-based business, visit http://julie.joinxpress.com/business.html

Honk, Honk!

  

Some of you may have heard this before, but it is worth reading again periodically.  Over the years, I have read or heard it numerous times, and am uplifted and encouraged by it every time.

Depending upon where you live, you may have seen geese flying overhead, flying south for the winter.  They always fly in a “V” formation.  Scientists have researched this and learned why they do this.

They have discovered that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird right behind it.  When they fly in the “V” formation, the entire flock adds over 70% greater flying range than if each bird flew by itself.

When the lead goose gets tired and slows down, it then eases itself to the back of the flock, taking advantage of the uplift of the other birds.  At the same time, another goose replaces the tired one in the lead position.

If one goose falls out of formation, it realizes quickly that the drag and resistance of flying alone is exhausting.  So, it quickly returns to the formation.

The geese in the back of the flock honk almost continuously to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.  When one goose becomes ill or is wounded and falls out of the formation, two other geese will fall out of formation as well and follow it down to help and protect it.  The two geese stay with the ailing goose until it is once again able to fly or until it dies.  Then they take off on their own or join another formation to catch up with their original flock.

The behavior of the Geese can teach us valuable lessons.  No matter how great your talent, it is multiplied when we work closely with others and use their talents as well. 

We must be willing to help others grow and achieve in order to reach our own goals.  When we share a common purpose, a vision, we can reach those goals more efficiently and faster than if we were working alone.  As your team grows, their success will give you a boost and help you to accomplish even more.

Working as a unit, lifting and encouraging one another helps each individual as well as the team.  Like the geese, when we share the load, utilizing the skills and abilities of each team member, everyone benefits.

In order to reach your goals, would you prefer to be a lone wolf or one of the many geese in a flock?

To learn more about Julie Klein, visit:  http://ibourl.net/JoinXpressHealthcare

Mentoring vs Corp/Website Training

I am a Mentor and Team Leader.  I am not in business to build an enormous team of people I do not know and who do not know me. 

I was with other companies prior to joining my current business.  With them, I might just as well have had no sponsor, because I had virtually no contact with them. When I called my sponsor in my previous company, I would get a “rah-rah” speech.  I NEVER received any training whatsoever, and surprise, I was not successful.

There may be many people out there in the industry who simply want to grow a huge team and earn money.  That is fine for them.  I am not one of those people.  Don’t get me wrong… I have one of the largest teams in my company, but I do not have thousands of team members.  I do not WANT thousands of team members.  Sure, I’d have an amazing income if I did, but I would not enjoy my work nearly as much as I do now.

New team members, in particular, usually want support, not just answers to questions.  They want to know that there is someone willing to help them build their business.  I love mentoring my team members.  I like that they call, Skype and email me to ask for help, and I am happy to provide it.  I have come to know many of my team members well, and a few have become close friends. 

There are companies whose “back office” websites are the place where their representatives acquire all their training.  Some also offer corporate webinars or calls.  My company has an amazing, comprehensive high-tech back office.  Most of our Affiliates could learn everything they want to know about the business using our back office. 

However, I do not want my team members spending weeks in the back office learning everything they need to know before they begin actually working their business.  I suggest that my team members explore their back office so they will know where to find everything whenever they need it, and then get out there and start growing a business!

I frequently get calls from team members asking me, “Where can I find …?”  I could tell them that it is in their back office, and let them spend 20-30 minutes trying to locate what they are seeking… OR, I can tell them where to find it in 30 seconds and let them spend that 20-30 minutes working instead.

I have been told I spend too much time mentoring my team members, that I should just direct them to their back office since everything they need to know is there.  While it is true that I could do that, I have a pretty successful, active, working team, BECAUSE I spend “too much time” with my team members.  My team members are people to me, not numbers.  No, I’ll never have a team of 10,000, and that is just fine with me.

To learn more about Julie Klein and her team, visit http://ibourl.net/JoinXpressHealthcare

Are You Lacking Motivation?

You may be new to the home-business world, or you may have been working from home from years.  Either way, in order to build and maintain a successful home business, you must stay motivated.   Virtually every business – both brick and mortar and home businesses – have “down” times where growth slows down or income takes a dip.   If you aren’t completely committed to your business and motivated to succeed, it will be very difficult to ride out the tough times.

There are a few ways to remain motivated – and even excited – about your work at home business.

Daily Agenda.  A daily, weekly and even monthly “to-do” list of tasks can be a powerful tool that can help you accomplish what needs to be done in a timely manner.  These lists are different from goals.  They should contain individual job functions, prioritized so you will complete the most important first.  I one or two of your tasks are ones you particularly dislike doing, if possible, list them first.  Once you have completed those that you dread, you won’t have to think about them the rest of the day enabling you to focus more on those tasks that you don’t mind doing or actually enjoy. 

Your list can consist of phone calls to prospects or team members, placing online or offline ads, participating in forums, even writing your daily or weekly blog.  You may place organizing your desk on your weekly list or following up with old prospects on your monthly list. 

When you are able to check off or cross off completed items on your list, it can provide you with a sense of accomplishment, motivating you to move on to the next item.

Expand Your Marketing Methods.  Don’t settle.  Because you are generating leads from the various methods of marketing you have been using, don’t think that is all you can or should do.   There are hundreds – even thousands - of top marketers who write books, offer webinars or simply share their knowledge and experience with others in the industry.   It is a good idea to learn what you can from those who are very successful in Internet marketing.  I have seen people who are constantly studying from “the experts,” and I personally believe you can overdo it.  Be sure you are not studying more than you area actually applying what you have learned.

Be sure to track the results of your various marketing techniques.  You do not want to continue using those that bring no return.

Networking.  Another way to maintain motivation and excitement about your business, during good times and bad, is by networking with others in your industry or related fields.   You can exchange advice and encouragement about how to promote and operate your business.

Because working at home isolates you from the public, at-home workers can become lonely at times.  By connecting with people who also work from home both on and offline, you will find an outlet for those lonely times.  There are myriad ways online to find like-minded business and personal connections.  However, some people forget about face-to-face networking.  Nearly every city has business networking groups, Chambers of Commerce, Women-in-Business groups, etc.  Search online to find them in your neighborhood, and attend their functions to meet others and share local business ideas.

Any time you feel you are losing the excitement you had for your business, doubting your abilities or feeling less motivated, review these ideas to see whether one or more of them can give you the boost you need to get back on track.

To learn more about Julie Klein and her home-based business, visit http://ibourl.net/JoinXpressHealthcare