“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” – Zig Ziglar
Great quote, right? But, let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t want to get out of bed, we don’t want to take action and there may be times when you could care less if your follow through with anything. Am I right? Here’s the deal though… no matter how bad it is (an ohhhh it can be BAD!), we cannot give up! We may need to rest. We may need a break. We may even need to hide out and lick our wounds for a little bit. But we CANNOT GIVE UP! When the time comes that you need a break from the world of happy people, take the break and then dig deep, find that “character” Zig referrers to in his quote and get going again. I know this is tough sometimes - trust me, I know as I am speaking from experience. The past few months have been extremely challenging for me and my family, but we keep going. One thing we know for sure is that things will eventually get better, easier, rosier, happier… Where there are lows – there are also highs! Hooray for the highs! So let’s suck it up, put on a happy face and KNOW that with ACTION, COMMITMENT and DISCIPLINE we will FOLLOW THROUGH!
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” – Albert Einstein
So, what’s going on with me right now? Craziness – that’s what. My husband and I are in the middle of a big business deal with our company at 360 Wraps and as VP for the corporation, I have taken on a full time role at the business so that we can all work together to make things happen better and faster. We are spending many long hours putting things in place and we have found our fair share of roadblocks along the way. With any big things in business, things often don’t go as smoothly as we’d like and it often feels like an intense mental game. When I play games, I like to win. I am competitive and I will spend a lot of time strategizing and formulating plans. (BTW – I have only played chess once and it was with a guy that was considered to be “pretty good” at the game. I beat him. I haven’t played again as I don’t want to ruin my record! haha ) Anyway… so, I just had one of those moments of clarity about an aspect of the deal we are working on and with just a little research I found a critical piece of the puzzle. I’m proud of myself for not giving up! As I work through these things at 360 Wraps I will be continuing my radio show, but my TV show is on hold. I am also continuing with my Beachbody business as it is the best paying and most consistent direct selling business I’ve ever been in and I completely believe in the products, so I wouldn’t give that up.
So, tune in to my radio show, “What’s Your Bottom Line?” Tuesday’s at 2:00pm CST. If you want to lose weight, feel great, or make a little extra money while getting fit and healthy, let me know and I’ll get you some info on Beachbody. AND – if you are interested in increasing your own financial bottom line by improving your marketing strategy, consider wrapping your vehicle, updating your website and business cards, adding a professional video to your website, improving your social media presence and skills our team at 360 Wraps is here to help. We are currently looking for people in the Dallas/Fort Worth market who are ready to take their business to the next level with a clear and concise business marketing plan.
Why the heck are you trying to do everything yourself? Didn’t you learn in kindergarten that we are supposed to share? In fact the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten refreshes our memory very clearly by reminding us we must learn how to share and we are even told that when we go out into the world, we must watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. So, what happens? Why are we now insistent on doing it all ourselves? Was there a merit badge for ‘going it alone’ that I didn’t know about?
It’s time to get back to asking for help, hiring help, borrowing or bartering for help… whatever it takes, GET HELP! There is absolutely no reason to go it alone. Together we can do more, achieve more, be more, and have more of __(you fill in the blank)____.
Patooey on that whole competition thing. That’s sooo 2009. 2010 and beyond is about collaboration. Be creative and inclusive. Align yourself with those that compliment you and your mission. Reach out to those you admire most and who you want to work with. If you don’t, someone else will. This isn’t a passing fad, people are starting to ‘get it’ and realizing there really is strength in numbers. Don’t be left behind. Get outside yourself and start bringing people together to create something bigger.
Use the buddy system AND while you are at it, share the credit!
“If you want to be incrementally better: Be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better: Be cooperative.” –Unknown
There will be times when times are tough. Even though we don’t sign up for the tough times, they do happen. When things go wrong or someone pisses us off, we have a choice on how we are going to react. We can run, hide, sulk, pout, get mad, get even, or just give up. We could also stand tall, face facts, smile, be happy, be positive, and take action. It’s completely up to you on what you will chose to do. I suggest you hang in there and take the positive route. Even if things don’t get better quickly, the more focused you are on the good and right in any situation, the better it feels while going through it. ~Angie
Within You Is The Strength
To Meet Life’s Challenges!
You are stronger than you think,
remember to stand tall.
Every challenge in your life
helps you to grow.
Every problem you encounter
strengthens your mind and your soul.
Every trouble you overcome
increases your understanding of life.
When all your troubles weigh
heavily on your shoulders,
remember that beneath the burden
you can stand tall,
because you are never given
more than you can handle…
and you are stronger than you think.
Is that a leaky faucet I hear? Aren’t those weeds in the flowerbed getting just a tad bit out of control? Is there any end to that stack of dirty clothes in the laundry room? Is there any hope to paying off that credit card if you keeping making only minimum payments? Are you ever going to get in to see the dentist about that bad tooth? How long has that petrified french fry been on your car floorboard? The dust on the ceiling fan blades is hanging on for dear life!
These are just a few of the things we ignore, but never go away. They loom over our heads whether we are consciously aware of it or not. Those little things add up and start to drag us down. We begin to lose our energy, our focus and our joy and we may not even know why. Now you know!
Over the weekend I want you to write down a list with all of the little things that need your attention. Dig down and write down every thing you can think of. Ask your significant other or your children for help with this. Get it all down on paper.
Now prioritize your list. What is the most important thing you should get done first? If it is something that is costing you money, then do that first. Something as simple as a leaky faucet is costing you money. If it’s paying bills late or only paying minimums, set a calendar alert to remind yourself when to pay and find a way to pay a little extra on those bills with the highest interest rates.
Get some early wins. Take on a few things on the list that are easy, but you just keep putting off and get them done right away. Feel how good it feels to get things done and then move on to the next items on your list.
Make the list a competition with a prize. Whether it is a solo competition with yourself or if you divide the list with someone else, set some challenges to addressing everything on the list and set some rewards for finishing the list within a specific time period. We all like to be rewarded for our accomplishments – and it’s okay if you are the only one who knows what you accomplished.
Delegate or hire help. Don’t try to do it all yourself, even if you are physically capable. Just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Pay for that which will take you more time than money to do. Then use your time to do things you cannot pay for or delegate. Now you are doubling your efforts and before you know it – you are done!
So, if you are feeling gloomy, get off your butt and get things done! If it to be, it is up to YOU!
“Enjoy your life and be happy. Being happy is of the utmost importance. Success in anything is through happiness. More support of nature comes from being happy.
Under all circumstances be happy, even if you have to force it a bit to change some long standing habits. Just think of any negativity that comes to you as a raindrop falling into the ocean of your bliss. You may not always have an ocean of bliss, but think that way anyway and it will help it come.
Doubting is not blissful and does not create happiness. Be happy, healthy and let all that love flow through your heart.”
~ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
*** Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed the Transcendental Meditation technique. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he achieved fame as the guru to the Beatles and other celebrities.
As I start my day and working on my to-do list, I am reminded again that I need to focus on what matter most and put those things first. I know that so often I find myself jumping from thing to thing and then at the end of the day, week or month, I haven’t taken the time for those things that matter most. I am working on it. I remind myself to keep things in perspective and to take the time for Family, Fun, Fitness and Friends – my 4 F’s.
I’m curious, what matters most to you? How do you keep those things that matter most a top priority?
“No matter how one may think himself accomplished, when he sets out to learn a new language, science, or the bicycle, he has entered a new realm as truly as if he were a child newly born into the world.” ~Frances Willard, How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle
Let’s talk about the importance of continuing education. I’m not necessarily talking about the formal job-specific required CEU type of training – although that is important. I am talking about learning that stretches us and makes us step out of our daily lives to learn and do something we wouldn’t normally do. I am also talking about personal development by attending inspirational or motivational seminars as well as reading motivational books and magazines and listening to inspirational content on your iPod or in the car.
There are far too many people in the free world walking through life just getting by. They are such creatures of habit that the rut they have made is so deep, they can barely see above it. Day in, day out they do the same things. They eat the same things. They go to and from work the same way. They talk to the same people. They watch the same things on TV every week. In that world of doing the same things over and over again they have lost their “color.” To me, that person has become black and white in a world that is vibrant and in High Definition 3-D! Don’t let that be you!
Break free from the dullness and try something new and please venture off the beaten path at least a little bit – I promise you won’t get run over. To get started, I encourage you to write down three things you would like to change or do differently and WHY. The why is critical! Do this step quickly. Don’t over think it. Go with your gut. It doesn’t really matter what you write down either, it may be a small step or could be a huge leap – it’s up to you! Once you have the list, pick one and write down three action steps you can do to start the change process. Maybe you want to learn a new language. Okay, do you want to learn it in a classroom setting or would you prefer an home-study audio system? You decide and then do what it takes to make it happen. Don’t wait – do it now!
If you want to see a change in your life, then you need to make that change. It’s that simple. With each new step towards doing something new or learning something new, you will grow and become more fulfilled. You will get your color back!
As a final note: If you aren’t willing to learn and grow, then stop complaining about things in your life like your job, your paycheck, your weight, your spouse… Oh, that was harsh! Right? I meant it to be. You – and only you – can decide to learn, grow and make the choice to be happy. That may take some work, but hey, you may find that the work itself brings you joy.
Be the change you want to see in your life! ~Angie
Hello there! I made it back! I have been in this strange far off land called Votesville, which is governed by one of the most powerful women in the world, Oprah Winfrey. This place had many people manically asking, pleading, shaming and coercing people into voting for their video audition so they might have a chance to be the next television star on Opray Winfrey’s new network – OWN. I have never ventured into a land like this before and I am grateful I didn’t have to go it alone. It was crazy there! I even found that I lost my own mind and did things I thought I would never do and yet, I survived! Not only did I survive, I came out stronger than before. Sure, I’m tired and I KNOW a few (or more) of my family and friends are tired of ME, but I just had to do it. Once I ventured in, I had to go in all the way! Thankfully I had a team of amazing people who made regular visits to Votesville and kept me company.
I would like to individually thank everyone who supported me over the past six weeks through their views, votes, and sharing, but I don’t know where to begin. I have a pretty good list of those that I know voted every day, but as the competition got more intense, I found that more and more people were part of the action and I lost track. If you are one of the maniacal Team Vote Angie voters, THANK YOU! Because of your hard work and belief in me, we made it to 14th place out of 9,504 contestants! That is AWESOME!! I would like to give a BIG virtual HUG to everyone who cast even one vote as each vote MADE A DIFFERENCE!
Friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things. ~Author Unknown (A million little things revealed as votes!)
“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” – Zig Ziglar
refreshes our memory very clearly by reminding us we must learn how to share and we are even told that when we go out into the world, we must watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. So, what happens? Why are we now insistent on doing it all ourselves? Was there a merit badge for ‘going it alone’ that I didn’t know about?
It’s time to get back to asking for help, hiring help, borrowing or bartering for help… whatever it takes, GET HELP! There is absolutely no reason to go it alone. Together we can do more, achieve more, be more, and have more of __(you fill in the blank)____.
“Enjoy your life and be happy. Being happy is of the utmost importance. Success in anything is through happiness. More support of nature comes from being happy.
