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

Boom!

I am part of the “Baby Boomer” generation.  My generation helped to destroy the once very common long-lasting marriage. We were the first generation where divorce became very common.  My own parents were married 63 years and my grandparents, 55.  Yet all my parents’ children, 4 in all, have been married more than once.

In earlier times when people married, they entered the relationship knowing that it would be permanent.  They had no more or fewer disagreements than people have today, but for most, escaping the marriage was never considered.

Today, way too many people get married with, “If it doesn’t work out, we can always get a divorce” in the back of their minds.  They don’t consciously think that way of course, but it is a seed germinating, ready to bloom when challenges in their marriage arise.  I think fewer people with each generation are willing to make a lifetime commitment.

My husband and I will celebrate our 20^th wedding anniversary on January 1, 2013. We were both married previously, neither of us for as long as 20 years.  We are both certain we will be together forever.  We have disagreements.  We are two very different people after all.  However, we never raise our voices in anger, never call one another names and never cuss at one another.  At all times, we show respect for one another.

My sister brags that she and her husband have been married 35 years, but she has also told me that they scream and yell at one another and use filthy language when they “fight.”  Hmm.  Is this a “good” marriage because of its longevity?

Today my husband and I were discussing the poor marriage record of Baby Boomers, and we realized that although divorce is common for those our age, we actually know several people who have been married for a very long time.

We have several couple-friends who have been married more than 30 years, the first marriage for two of those couples.  In fact, we were surprised to realize that most people we know have been married for 20+ years.  Since so many people divorce these days, how is it that we have so many friends in long-lasting marriages?  Do people in good marriages attract or seek out others in good marriages? 

I have found a similar attitude in network marketing team members.  Most are unwilling to commit to their business, while a small percentage commit fully, whatever it takes.  I have developed a few close friendships among my co-workers.  Like the long-married couples we know, those close friendships only seem to be with those who have a similar passion for their business that I have.    

Will the next generation and the next one after that commit to relationships and to their work, or will commitment become less and less common as time goes on?  Of course, I do not know, but I pray it is the former.

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

 

I Don't Believe It!

I Don’t Believe It!

If you believe in yourself, you can achieve whatever goal for which you are striving.

It is rare to find an adult doesn’t know how to drive a car.  Virtually everyone you know drives.  Although I know a couple people who do not drive, they never wanted to learn.  I don’t know anyone who tried to learn, but failed.  No one who tried a few times to learn but then gave up.

If you think about it, driving a car is a bit complex.  You need to operate the gas pedal, the brakes and a steering wheel – the gear shift as well if you’re driving a standard transmission vehicle.  On top of that, you have to watch the road, anticipate what other drivers may do, read signs and obey traffic lights.

Why is it that the overwhelming majority of people who choose to learn to drive are successful?  The answer is pretty clear.  Before anyone even begins to learn to drive, they know they will be successful.  They know that others have done so, and they too will learn, even though it really is a somewhat complicated skill.

No matter how you measure success, it begins with your own thought processes.  Without a clear picture of the results you are seeking, your subconscious mind may prevent you from achieving those results.

When they begin to listen to the words they use regularly, most people are surprised to learn that they are often sending negative messages to their subconscious mind. 

Have you ever told yourself, for example, that because you’ve never participated in forums or written blogs, you’ll never be any good at it?  Or, because you’ve been participating in forums for a few weeks and not received any prospects from them that you will never succeed with your business?

When your subconscious mind receives these messages, you may be setting those challenges in concrete, convincing yourself that you will never reach your goals.  It is important to remind yourself of your goals, and create an image in your mind of the successful you.  See yourself as successful.

Focus on the positive picture you create, and your subconscious mind will help you achieve this picture in reality.

When speaking to yourself or someone else, instead of saying that learning about your business is really difficult, instead tell yourself that you are working hard to build your business, meeting each challenge that comes along.  Or in your personal life, instead of telling yourself “I won't be overweight anymore,” think “I am getting thinner every day.”

Even if others do not believe in you – which is common in network marketing – focus on the many who have succeeded, not those who quit…  Remember that those who quit did not fail, they simply gave up before putting in the time and effort to reach their goals. 

The people who believe in themselves and keep working toward their own success are the ones who do succeed.

During the Dot Com boom, people were buying internet stocks like crazy. Warren Buffet chose not to do so, and he received lots of criticism.  He believed in his actions and ignored the criticism.  When the dot com bust happened, millions of people lost lots of money, but Buffet became one of the richest people man in the world!

Before “Roots” was published, Alex Haley received 200 rejections from publishers.  He didn’t quit trying.  He finally got his book published and won a Pulitzer Prize for it.

Buffet and Alex Haley were normal people like you and me. Their success came because they believed in themselves.

No one succeeds without coming across challenges along the way.  If it takes time to build up your lead lists and get prospects, remind yourself that you will get them with consistent effort. 

Most of us had doubts about certain aspects of our business along the way, but we did not give up.  Instead, we convinced ourselves that if others could do it, we can too.  Believe in yourself.  Continue moving forward, persevere, be persistent and patient.

http://julie.joinxpress.com/business.html?=blogger

Heading Home

Here we are on I-10 heading home to Arizona after a great trip to visit family and friends in California.

It is sad to be leaving, because we want to stay and live in California, but until our house in Arizona sells, we cannot do so.

We started our week with our younger son, staying at his apartment the entire week.  We had dinner at my brother's restaurant the first night. We had a great meal with wonderful company.

The following evening, we met one of my team members and her husband for dinner.  It was our first in-person meeting, and we had such fun with them!  What a great couple.

On Saturday, we had a nice visit with an elderly cousin, the last of her generation still alive.  At 91 years of age, she is still sharp and living alone.  From her home, we drove to the coast, Pacific Coast Highway, driving south stopping to enjoy the ocean view, smell and sounds. Living in Arizona, we don't have much opportunity to see the ocean.

On Sunday, we met with my husband's daughter and friends for a really nice visit.  The following day, my brother joined us as we drove to a few cities in Southern California trying to decide exactly where in Southern California we want to live when our house does sell.

The next day we drove to another beach town to see our niece and grand niece.  We hadn't seen them for a couple years, so we had lots to catch up on.  That evening, we saw our older son and our 4-year-old granddaughter.  She is an adorable little girl who we barely know, because we live so far away.

Our last full day was mostly relaxing and visiting with our younger son.  That evening, because it was the 4^th of the July, Independence Day in the USA, my brother and darling sister-in-law joined us, along with our son, and we went to The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, for a phenomenal fireworks display.  We saw some unique fireworks that none of us had ever seen before.  The Rose Bowl show was reported to be the largest display in Southern California.  We picnicked in a park area surrounding the Rose Bowl in what was a real party atmosphere, with about 200,000 other people.  Our final night in California was special mostly because we spent it with family.

As anticipated, driving in California was terrible, and we drove a great deal during our visit – 1845 miles to be exact.  However, as we also expected, we had a wonderful time seeing everyone.  We are now in the first of what will be about a 10-hour drive home... although Arizona is feeling less like home each time we leave our family. 

Having a home business is such a pleasure.  I can work anywhere, and I can take vacations whenever I please.  During the week I was in California, two people joined my team, and I spoke with three other really good prospects that I’ll be contacting again.

I am also so fortunate to have a dear friend and co-worker on my team who covered my training calls and even helped a few of my team members during my absence.

My team, The Winner’s Circle, is one of the top teams in Xpress Healthcare.  If you’re looking for a home business with phenomenal people, please check out my website

California Here I Come

My husband and I are going to California for a visit at the end of this week.  We’ll be staying for about a week.  Both our families and friends live in Southern California, so we have quite a few people we want to see.

I’m pretty good about preparing a work schedule, but planning who we are going to see on what day and time and where we will see them has turned into quite a challenge.  We will be there for only one weekend, and some of the people we want to see work during the week and are only available on weekends. 

While we are in California, we’ll be celebrating Independence Day – with whom and where, we do not yet know.

We will be staying with one of our sons in Pasadena.  If you know Southern California at all, you know that it is really spread out, and the traffic is horrible.  Of course, it is worse during “rush hour,” but there is rarely a time when the freeways do not have a great deal of traffic.  Whoever coined the term “rush hour” anyway?  No one is rushing anywhere.  The freeways in Los Angeles become a parking lot, not a racetrack.

We have family and friends in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys, both of which are over thirty miles from where we are staying in Pasadena.  Driving 30 miles where I live in Southeast Arizona would be a quick trip, but in Southern California, depending upon the time of day, it will likely take 45 to 90 minutes.

People in California love their cars.  There is decent public transportation – trains and busses - but the vast majority of people choose to drive their own cars to and from work.  When we are sitting still on an L.A. freeway, I always, wonder “What is wrong with these people?  How can they do this day after day?”  At least car pool for goodness sake!

It is very fortunate that my husband is retired and I have my Xpress Healthcare home business and can work it anywhere I go.  Have laptop, will travel.  So, if this coordination of visits becomes too crazy, there is nothing stopping us from extending our trip to be sure we see everyone.  We can stay an extra day or two – or more.

Those of you who read my blogs regularly may notice that I will not be posting any while I am gone.  We will be leaving either Thursday or Friday, so I’ll get one or two more written this week.  After the trip, I imagine I’ll have a lot to write about. 

Wish us luck in the insanity of Southern California.

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