Don’t Give Up!

Here we are a couple weeks after New Year’s Resolutions go by the wayside. You’ve opened up a bag of chips and that gym membership has already fallen to the bottom of your purse. Things got too hard and you wanted to just work on the parts of your life that were easy.
 
Is this what your business model looks like? In order to run a successful business, you need to have a synergistic comprehensive system that include your mind, body and business working together as one.
 
If you give up easily on the personal aspects of your life then what’s going to stop you from giving up on your business? There are going to be days when others let you down, you have a huge disappointment, you gain a couple pounds, or it seems like the world is out to get you, but that just means you need to readjust and regroup. Take some time to grieve about the situation then get ready to pick yourself up and use it as learning moment. What do you need to do to change the outcome?
 
In your life and in your business no one can solve the problems but you. You are the one who is in charge and making all the decisions so make ones that are going to push you further. Don’t dwell on that last bad situation because there will be plenty of positive opportunities coming up as long as you keep yourself open to them. The minute you shut down and worry about how to fix a problem that you have no control over is when you will lose the forward momentum that you are building to grow a business that you are proud of and is a success.
 
So how do I do this?
 
*Give yourself a break. Literally. If you are working 24/7 on your business and not taking any personal time for yourself then you won’t be able to grow and formulate a new plan.
 
*Eat right! When you are putting healthy foods into your body instead of filling yourself up with caffeine and/or sugar then your mind has the chance to get rid of that nervous energy and anxiety you may be feeling and will allow you to be open to new ideas.
 
*Exercise. I know, you’ve heard it before, but just walk away from the computer. Set down the smart phone and give your body a release of endorphins that will help you with brainstorming your next big thing.
 
*Personal Growth. What have you read today that is going to help your business grow? Have you learned a new technique that could make you better at your job> Read books from people who have master the skill set you want to have.
 
*Set Business hours as an Entrepreneur. You are going to need time to schedule in the other things I mentioned above so why don’t you schedule the time you spend working. If you are a work at home mom, then you are not going to have an 8 hour block of time that you can work. That’s fine. Do what works for you and your family. For example, my “typical” day with four kids allows me to answer emails and network in the morning for 2 hours. I make phone calls and do follow up calls during nap time which is another 2 hours and then after bedtime I’m back doing more phone calls and meeting new people for roughly 3 hours. That’s seven hours right there. Sure it’s not all in a row, but I won’t be able to do that until all my kids are in school. Having business hours also allows your clients to know when you are available and when you are off taking care of yourself, your family or having much needed family time.
 
By incorporating these aspects into your life, you are able to see that you can’t control the bad thing that just happened but now your mind is open to learning how to cope with disappointment in the future without giving up. Sure you might have failures along the way in your business, but these failures are what will lead you on the road to a HUGE success.
 
Abbey Fatica is a mom of four that has transformed her lifestyle by being committed to being healthy and fit. She loves helping other moms feel comfortable in their skin and achieve their dreams. 

She created Reinventing Moms after coming to the realization that she needed to regain control of her physical and financial life.   Knowing that her purpose is to help moms who are unhappy with their current situation to get back to a healthy, fit body and achieve their desired lifestyle makes it easy to ask “How Can I Help YOU Today?”
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Lung Leavin’ Day

My name is Heather and I am an 8-year survivor of mesothelioma – a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. When I was diagnosed, I had just given birth to my little girl and was told I had 15 months to live. After undergoing a risky surgery, which required the removal of my left lung, I beat the odds and created Lung Leavin’ Day as a way to commemorate this day that changed my life forever.

Lung Leavin’ Day is now used to encourage others to face their fears! One important thing cancer taught me is the importance of acknowledging these apprehensions that prevent us from living life to the fullest extent. Each year on February 2, friends and family gather at my house for a bonfire where we write our fears on plates and smash them into the fire.

This year, we are asking bloggers to face your fears and raise awareness of this event by virtually participating in Lung Leavin’ Day! I have created an interactive page that tells the full story of this special day, which can be found here: Mesothelioma.com/heather/lungleavinday

Here’s some more info you might find interesting::

–Interview about Lung Leavin’ Day with the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

–The surgery I underwent to remove my lung

–General mesothelioma information


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New Year Resolutions or Goals?

Do you typically make a New Year’s Resolution? Or resolutions? In the past, I haven’t been good about resolutions. They always seemed too broad or too narrow. So last year I tried something new. I wrote down my overall goals for the year instead.

It worked out pretty well. Even though I didn’t complete all of them {only about four of the 13 to be exact} I still categorize it as successful.

·         Take a couples only vacation. Done. That was easy and fun!

·         Read a book. Did so on said vacation. Even read two! That should count for bonus points!

·         Write an E-book. Nope, didn’t do that. But, I’ve made progress toward that end goal and it’s still on my list for 2014.

·         Lose 30 pounds. Although I didn’t lose that much, I lost at least half of that and am much closer to my goal than I was when I started.

And, that’s why I feel successful. Success equals consistently moving forward despite setbacks or detours.

We all have detours and setbacks, both in our personal lives and in our business lives. Do you let them take you completely off track or just derail you for a few moments? Either way, I think it is how you ultimately deal with the setback that matters. No matter how severe, if you are able to refocus and push forward then that’s success.

What are your goals for 2014? Some of my 2013 items have migrated over to my new list. I’m ok with that. Some of mine have grown. In 2013, I wanted to run my first 5k. I did. In 2014, I aim to run my first 10k.

I haven’t allowed anything to fall from sight. If it was a priority then, I’ve at least given the thought and consideration to whether is still should be a priority now. I didn’t cross any uncompleted items off, but did do some slight editing. Some things I’ve copied verbatim over to 2014, {like read a book} just because I enjoyed it and don’t want to lose my motivation to do it again!

And, I’ve added some new goals. That’s what growth is all about, right? Expanding our horizons, trying new things and enhancing the world that we live in. Some of my goals are frivolous and materialistic. That’s ok. Others are more community and service centered, which I think is great.

Regardless of whether I complete these goals; regardless of whether they make me a better, more balanced person; regardless of whether my business soars; I’m happy I took the time to write them down. Self reflection is always beneficial. And, now I have all of you to be accountable to, too 😉

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