It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I have been in the network marketing industry for nearly a decade.  Still, it never ceases to amaze me that so many network marketers do not work during the holiday season.  They usually say that people do not buy products or joining businesses during this time of the year. 

This is the second time in about a week that I am writing about this topic.  I feel so strongly about it that I feel the need to get my message to more people!

·        On Thanksgiving Day, a new rep joined my team online.  I had no prior contact with her.  This is the third time in my network marketing career that someone joined my team on Thanksgiving.

·        More people than ever use social media.  Do they stop during the holiday season?  Of course not!  So, why would you stop trying to build relationships and promoting your home business?

·        Various events and parties we attend in December are filled with prospects!  No, it isn’t a good time to try “selling” someone, but how about if you give a two sentence explanation of what you do and then say something like, “I don’t want to take up your time.  We are here to join in the party.  I would be happy to speak with you later this week to tell you more.  Let me just jot down your phone number an email address.”

·        While standing in the inevitable lines at a store, strike up a conversation with someone near you.  Try to slip in, “I am so much more relaxed this year since I didn’t have to ask anyone for time off.”  There are many simple ways to hint toward your career without jumping into a presentation.  Very often if we say something like this, the other person may ask you, “Oh, you don’t work anymore?”   The door is open for a VERY brief mention of your business.  Then give them a business card or brochure and/or ask for their contact info.

Opportunities are all around you to promote your business during the holidays, both online and off.  Keep your eyes open to recognize these occasions, and you can grow your team and increase your product sales by the New Year.

Who would like to take on the holiday challenge to build your income by January 1^st?

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Who Are the Buffalo Soldiers?

Fort Huachuca (wa-choo-ka) is an army post in Southeast Arizona.  It is one of the oldest military bases in the United States.  It is a product of the Indian Wars of the 1870s and 1880s and was established as Camp Huachuca in 1877.  At that time, it offered protection to settlers travelling through the area or living in what was then Apache territory. 

As part of its long and proud history, Fort Huachuca has served as one of the homes of “B” Troop, often referred to as the Buffalo Soldiers, for many years. The Buffalo Soldiers at one time consisted only of African Americans.     African-Americans have served and with distinction in all U.S. military engagements. They made the greatest sacrifices and contributions during the Civil War when more than 180,000 African Americans were in the Union Army.  Over 33,000 of these soldiers sacrificed their lives for their country. 

In 1866, Congress established a peacetime army, reducing the size of armed forces dramatically and abolishing all the African-American units created during the Civil War. Of the new cavalry regiments and infantry units established at that time, four of the cavalry and two of the infantry units consisted of “colored men.”  These troops remained in the West until the Spanish-American War.  At that time one if five cavalry soldiers and one in eight infantry soldiers were black.  They were nicknamed Buffalo Soldiers.  There are different stories regarding the origin of the name, but the most widely accepted is that the Indians saw a similarity between the black soldiers’ hair and buffalos.  The Buffalo Soldiers were former slaves, freemen and Black Civil War soldiers, and they were the first African Americans to serve during peacetime.

The Buffalo Soldiers escorted settlers and railroad crews and even cattle herds. Throughout the western States, they conducted campaigns against American Indian tribes.  They participated in the Spanish American War, The Philippine Insurrection, The Mexican Expedition, World War I, World War II, and the Korean Police Action.  Their contribution subduing Mexican revolutionaries, hostile Native Americans, outlaws, Comancheros, and rustlers was largely unrecognized, but invaluable. Their adversaries included Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Billy the Kid, and Pancho Villa.  

In addition, the Buffalo Soldiers explored and mapped vast areas of the southwestern states and strung hundreds of miles of telegraph lines and much more. Their assignments were considered the worst the Army had to offer. The Buffalo Soldiers became one of the most distinguished Army fighting units, in spite of the fact that they faced extreme by those living in the post-war frontier towns.

Today's Buffalo Soldiers represent a wide variety of occupations: attorney, doctor, fireman, computer technician, police officer and more.  They are active duty soldiers, retired military or someone who simply believes it is an honor to be part of this historic group.

The mission of today’s Buffalo Soldiers is to promote the heritage and traditions of the U.S. Army in the Southwest during the period of the Indian Wars and support recruiting, community relations, and official/ nonofficial ceremonial functions. Through appearances at social, cultural, and other activities, B Troop advances the interests of the U.S. Army, military horsemanship of the 1880's, and the history of Fort Huachuca.  They participate in ceremonies on the 4^th of July and in parades.   I really enjoy their

Fort Huachuca today is a major military installation and one of prominence throughout the Southwest.  Today it is the home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM).  In 1976 it was declared a National Landmark. 

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Do You Remember When...

Memory is a difficult thing to define. Before I began writing this post, I looked online for a definition.  I found a few:

·        “The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.”

·        “Something remembered from the past; a recollection.”

·        “Memories that are not consciously remembered can exert control through the subconscious” was a theory put forth by Sigmund Freud.

·        Another interesting definition I found was, “a past that becomes a part of me.”

Whatever definition we find best describes “memory,” it is fascinating to think of all the memories we must have stored in our brain.

We all have memories of sad or extraordinary occurrences in our lives.  For those of us who were around in 1963, a memory to which many of us refer is exactly where we were when we heard that John Kennedy was killed.  I was in high school when the announcement came over the public address system.  I remember that right after the announcement, a male student said loudly, “Now I’ll bet they will cancel the dance tonight!”  I was already stunned by the announcement, but I was shocked that was the first thing that came out of that kid’s mouth.  Having just experiencing the 50^th “anniversary” of that terrible day, it is especially sharp in many of our minds. 

Many of our strongest memories are about where we were when certain things happened.  An odd memory came to my mind a couple days ago.  I distinctly remember that, as a college student, I had just driven up to my home when I heard on the radio that Walt Disney had died.  He was an amazing man, but it surprised me that I had been storing that event in my mind since 1966.

I also remember exactly where I was when I learned that Elvis Presley died.  It was one week to the day after my younger son was born.  Again, I was in my car when the announcement was made on the radio.  I loved Elvis’ music, and I had seen him in concert, so I was upset with the news.

Until I put these memories in writing, I did not realize that these three major memories were all about someone dying.

When I was a young woman, I was sitting at home watching TV when I received a phone call from a local radio station asking me when I learned that my father was missing.  Until that phone call, I did not know that he was missing!  It turned out they had gone hiking in the mountains and were found the following day by rangers.  It made TV news and the newspapers!

A much happier, rather amusing memory I have is the first time I saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.  I was watching it with my family.  I was sitting on the edge of the couch closest to the TV watching the program.  We were all laughing at them with their funny haircuts.  In fact, I remember I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face.

We do not remember days; we remember moments.  ~Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

Some of our memories are painful, while we enjoy reliving others over and over again.

I would love it if some of you reading this blog would share some of your own memories.

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For affordable discount plans to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more, visit:  http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance). 

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Best of Show

I have been struggling this year getting into the holiday “spirit.”  The ads and decorations started SO early, and I found it annoying.  Finally, today my husband and I visited our local mall where each year they have the Festival of Trees.  I think many malls have a similar event.

Individuals, non-profits and businesses decorate a Christmas tree and enter it into the “competition.”  There are also decorated wreaths and centerpieces entered.  Community leaders judge the trees and award them first, second and third place ribbons.  The trees then go on sale to the highest bidder, and the money from the auction goes to charity.

More trees than ever were displayed this year, and the mall was decorated more beautifully than ever before.  We are located in the “the old west” in a city that would not exist without the huge military base.  Because of our location, several cowboy themed trees are displayed in addition to patriotic and military related trees.

As we walked down the rows of trees, every one beautiful in its own way, I felt the holiday spirit seeping into my brain.  By the time we left the mall, I was looking forward to the holiday season.

We took a few pictures of our favorite trees.  I’ll share a few below.

 Best of Show

                 Cowboy Christmas

   Dr. Seuss Christmas                

 Patriotic Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving!  I wish you all a safe, warm and wonderful holiday.

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For affordable discount plans to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more, visit: http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance). 

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The Battle Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams

There has been confusion between sweet potatoes and yams for as long as I remember.  Sweet potatoes are often mistakenly called yams in the US. The canned  "yams” we find in grocery stores are actually sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are what most of us in the US serve at the holidays. The more red-skinned of the two are sweet potatoes. Even grocery stores produce departments often mislabel them.

They are really two very different vegetables.  I found this article online explaining the many differences between them. 

http://uanews.org/blog/sweet-potatoes-vs-yams

As people gather for meals during the fall holiday season, there are bound to be disagreements, such as the age-old debate: Are those sweet potatoes, or yams?

Kelly Murray Young, an assistant agent of horticulture for the UA Cooperative Extension in Maricopa County, can settle the debate: Sweet potatoes and yams are not the same thing. They aren't related. Not even close.

"The way we talk about plants is different from how we talk about groceries," Murray Young said.

"A green bean is actually a fruit. But in a grocery store, we don't think of green beans that way," she said. "When we think about how living things are related to one another – how humans are so different from jellyfish, for example – we come to these different divisions. Sweet potatoes are as different from yams as humans are from snakes."

It's all in the classification.

While both come from groups of flowering plants, yams, which are starchier than sweet potatoes, are in a classification of plants referred to as “monocots” while sweet potatoes are classified as “dicots”, Murray Young explained. In fact, the more brightly orange and sweeter sweet potato is in the morning glory family while yams are more closely related to agave, she also said.

The rising theory about why there exists widespread confusion about sweet potatoes and yams draws its source from the days of slavery in the U.S.

"What is understood is that African slaves in the U.S. thought sweet potatoes were yams, because they look very similar. That's where the confusion got picked up," she said.

Also, yams are very hard to find in the U.S., save the occasional farmers' market or specialty store, said Murray Young, who, along with her colleagues in Phoenix, hold public workshops to teach people how to grow sweet potatoes at home and in community gardens.

While yams have long growing seasons and tend not to grow well in Arizona, sweet potatoes have a shorter season and thrive. Their edible leaves, which can be used for salads, can be harvested all summer long, with the root ready to eat in the fall, Murray Young said, adding that sweet potatoes generally need only 90 to 100 days of growth before they can be harvested.

"It's hard to find greens that grow through the summer months, and people are becoming more and more interested in eating local and fresh foods," Murray Young said. "And people all over the world eat sweet potato leaves; it is an important part of the diet for people."

For those who generally cook sweet potatoes during the fall season, Murray Young urges people to go for the fresh roots.

"Try sweet potatoes fresh out of the grocery store instead of a can," she advised. "Try different styles. You can add your own sugar to bring it to the sweetness you like, or try it without butter to see how delicious it is." 

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Are You Involved or Committed?

Are you involved in your business, or are you committed to your business?  There truly is a big difference between being involved and being committed. If you are involved, you can pretty much do whatever you want whenever you want.  You can just come and go as you please, work your business whenever you can find a few minutes. Commitment, however, requires dedication, passion, persistence and perseverance.   If you want to be successful, you must be in all the way.  Many people work their business part-time while working an outside job.  They can still be totally committed to their business if they work it on a regular basis with an established work schedule.  Virtually all business owners are involved in the business in some fashion; however, all business owners are not committed to it.   Commitment means setting up a schedule of activities and performing those activities consistently.        It takes more than involvement to succeed.  Commitment is required.  Just like a brick and mortar business, hard, consistent and frequent work must be done.  Internet entrepreneurs must market their products and websites just as store front businesses do.  If no one entered Walmart’s doors or visited their websites, they would collapse.  So, do they sit and wait for people to go to their stores or website?  Of course not.  We see their marketing nearly every day!  Like Walmart, we must find ways to drive traffic/prospects to our websites.  If people do not know about our products or business opportunity, we will not be in business for long. When building your team in the home based business industry, do your best to seek out those who are committed. Those who are involved, but not committed likely did no research about your company, products or opportunity.  It is doubtful that they studied your website thoroughly to learn as much as possible.  Their questions will help you determine whether they have done “their homework.” Those who have read a lot about your products and business opportunity have excitement in their voice; they start talking to you about how they plan to market the business.    Those who are committed don’t just talk about what they plan to do, they do it!  They do not make excuses why they cannot do so.  If, you truly want to succeed with your business, you can do it!  Consider this… We all have the same 168 hours each week.  We sleep an average of about 56 hours a week.  For those with an outside job, they will deduct another 40 hours.  Finally, we will spend about 35 hours of each week commuting (if we work a j-o-b), eating and with personal hygiene. Thirty-seven hours remain to spend with your family and work your business.  Give your family 25-30 of those hours.  Then commit to working 7 to 12 hours working your business.  There are few people who cannot work those few hours.  If you have no outside job, of course, you can devote far more time.  If you work smart and consistently, your business will eventually be successful.

If you are not fully committed to your business, determine whether or not you really want to continue with your current company.  If you do, what is stopping you from committing to it?  Figure it out.  It is important, because it is time to get committed!  It will not be easy; it will take work!  But the results will be well worth the effort!

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For affordable discount plans to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more, visit: http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance). 

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Caution! Beware of Dingbat!

I just watched this video (audio actually), and it was hilarious!  So, today instead of writing a press release/blog, I'm going to share this video with all of you.  I hope you too will start the weekend with a huge smile on your face! If you enjoy it, pass it around so others can feel really smart. Hilarious! This is a REAL phone call to a radio show. Hmm.  This PR isn't the minimum of 250 words long, so I guess I'll have to write a little more.  Let me think.  What shall I write?   I've got it!  Continuing on with the humor theme, I will tell you about some of the interesting, bazaar and fun - or funny holidays that occur during November, this week and even today! The following rather odd holidays are observed during the month of November: Banana Pudding Lovers Month Epilepsy Awareness Month  Family Stories Month  Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month Greens and Plantains Month  Historic Bridge Awareness Month National Impotency Month National Peanut Butter Lovers Month Spinach and Squash Month Sweet Potato Awareness Month  NoSHAVEmber World Sponge Month This week includes a few more interesting holidays:   National Global Entrepreneurship Week World Kindness Week: National Young Reader's Week National Donor Sabath Today's (November 15, 2013) bizarre holidays are:  America Recycles Day I Love to Write Day National Bundt (Pan) Day National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day National Philanthropy Day  ======================== For affordable discount plans to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more, visit: http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance). Please visit my Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/XpressHealthcareTheWinnersCircle  For Xpress Healthcare® business opportunity info, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.