The Power of ONE...

There's something to be said for getting outside of your COMFORT ZONE! For the past 4 years, I've used my computer as a way to almost "hide" myself from the outside world. If truth be told, I have a huge fear of networking face to face. I decided that I wanted to get past this fear--not only to grow my business, but to grow as a person.

So, last week I joined a Women in Business organization here locally in Texas to meet other local business owners and network. TOOT TOOT!!! I was SO proud of myself. I was able to easily converse with each that I met and I exchanged business cards with everyone I came in contact with. More importantly, I was finally able to "see" myself as they see me--a business woman! No more thoughts of not being good enough or hiding behind my laptop. This is the start of something GREAT...I can feel it.

WHY settle for "Just Over Broke"????

I responded to another post last week where a fellow business owner wanted to know why so many want to just have a "job" and be someone's employee. Better yet, they want to be someone's "employee" from HOME! Very few are able to accomplish this goal. That's just the truth. If it were EASY to find an at-home-job, don't you think that MOST people would do it??

We, especially women, are raised to be BROKE! Think about it--we're taught get an education, get a JOB, participate in the 401k so that when you "retire" you'll have extra money to live on. We PLAN to be broke. Does that make sense to you??? It didn't to ME!!!

Don't get me wrong. I totally value the education I gained in order to be a nurse. However, I didn't get stuck in the mindset that working for someone else was the only way to have security. Just talk to a nurse manager who's been "downsized" for a new grad who'll work for LONGER hours at HALF the pay! This happens in ALL types of professions.

It IS frustrating to those of us who CHOOSE to be EXTRAORDINARY (and this is a conscious choice!) to deal with those who are happier than pigs in you-know-what just to be working for the "man". We can't understand why so many settle for mediocrity. You can avoid this frustration by following this advice: surround yourself with like-minded individuals. If you're job seeking, find someone who has the type of "job" that you want. If you want MORE than a "job" can offer, consider ALL your business options.

Ask yourself this: Who are your CLOSEST 5 friends and how much INCOME do they earn??? What kind of lifestyle do they lead?? This will allow you to glimpse where you're headed. Doubt me? Ask yourself how many "broke" friends does a "rich" WOMAN have??? 0...otherwise she won't stay rich for long.

Here is my personal case study. When I started my OWN business 3 1/2 years ago, I can tell you that MANY of our friends and family voiced their opinions on the matter. I heard it all--especially because I had FAILED 4 times before. However, FAILURE is critical to SUCCESS. Not many people understand that. How can you know what to do right if you haven't tried it wrong???

Anyway, these family members and friends ALL lived paycheck to paycheck. They had NO dreams--NO vision. I didn't let THEIR lack of support stop me. I DUG in and WORKED like there was no tomorrow. I sacrificed and my family made sacrifices as well. I surrounded myself with those who were "Getting it DONE!"...not the one's who WISHED they were. I had MANY mentors...not all were part of my team or industry even. We can learn from many and I certainly did.

And you know what??? By the end of the FIRST year I had out earned everyone who we were associated with--even our most EDUCATED friends. I had a NEW vehicle PAID FOR by the company as a reward for my work and I was just getting started!

You may say, "WOW! You worked for a YEAR to reach you goal?" or "But I want it ALL and I want it NOW and I want it to be EASY and I want it to be FREE!!!"

But, if you do NOTHING today your TOMORROW will NEVER change!

Fast forward to now--- 3 1/2 years of effort total (less time than most spend in college getting a degree) and I'm on the verge of a SOLID 6 FIGURE income. I have a 2nd NEW vehicle sitting in the drive way paid for by the company I partnered with.

There is no more "paycheck to paycheck", dodging bill collectors or repo men for me. The BEST part is the FREEDOM to choose how to spend each day and the FREEDOM to CHOOSE who I work with.

Where are all the naysayers???? STILL in paycheck to paycheck HELL!

Hopefully you see my point.

Not ALL individuals are cut out to be entrepreneurs. Some are completely content letting someone else call the shots. Some expect LIFE and SUCCESS to be EASY! There is no such thing! Long-term success IS hard work--that's why it is called WORK.You won't find me wasting my time trying to CONVINCE someone that they can DO this--because the TRUTH is they can't...not if I had to convince them! WHY??? Because SUCCESS is a matter of CHOICE, not a matter of CHANCE!

Some of you moms reading this may AGREE with me. You may be screaming at your computer screen "RIGHT ON SISTAH!!!" and wonder, "What now?"

Find your passion, CHOOSE to become EXTRAORDINARY, SHUT up, STOP whining and GET TO WORK on reaching your goals! Then and ONLY then, will you find that you will spend the majority of your time letting others convince YOU that they are right for YOUR team.

Thanks for letting me share!

Edie--WAHM of 2

Why be ORDINARY???

I found this online (no bio was given--see www.houstonsahm.com ) and thought it was really worth sharing. You don't have to be a "mom" to appreciate this.~~Edie

It's pretty funny the things that we'll do as moms to fit in. For instance, how often do you restrain yourself from doing something that might seem crazy (like running through the waterfall at the park), or have you ever failed to express your opinion about a topic (such as child discipline) for fear it wouldn't be popular with the other moms in your group?Don't get us wrong... Fitting in with a group is a good thing. It gives us a sense of belonging, identity, and security, and it establishes group-specific expectations of how each individual will act and respond to others in the group. In this way, it reduces misunderstandings and the social gyrations otherwise necessary to establish.

But at the same time, the pressure to be a "typical" mom can quelch your personal expression and creativity and smother the urge to be extraordinary. Think about it... When was the last time you pointed to someone and said, "Wow, that woman is so normal – I'd like to be just like that!" Instead, consider the heroes you admire and respect, whether they be political, religious, athletic, or in some other walk of life. Nelson Mandela; Mother Theresa; Gandhi; Tiger Woods – to name a very few – are these people ordinary?

We all have the ability and opportunity to act in ways that are not ordinary, ways that expand our horizons and enhance our lives and the lives of others. It's usually fear that stops us: fear of stepping outside the defined normal conduct of our group, of being thought "weird" or – well, yes, abnormal. But it's by doing the unusual and the extraordinary that we can introduce the people in our circles, including our very own children, to new, interesting concepts and ideas, and can surprise ourselves by being more of who we are instead of less.

We invite you, therefore, to do something wonderfully not ordinary. Take a small step, even a baby step, outside your comfortable boundaries and don't be afraid to let others appreciate you for who you truly are. You can start by voicing an opinion you have that might not be popular with the other moms in your play group or your circle of friends. Then think about how it felt, and how you plan to keep extending yourself into being totally you.

Remember the words of Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Urgency Counts!

Each day when I wake up I remind myself of 3 little words: "Sense of URGENCY!"

It may sound trite, but it gets the point across. Long ago, I learned that simple enthusiasm on FIRE is more productive than sophisticated knowlegde on ICE.

When I started my business in January of 2004, I knew that craziness would soon follow because of the URGENCY I felt to begin. I embraced that feeling. I was willing to ride the intensity that came along in order to move forward quickly. Recently, I read that "stress" is caused when you want to get somewhere but don't want to do what must be done in order to get there. I can honestly say that is SO true! Many people WANT success, but they don't want to DO anything to obtain it.

I didn't WAIT until I was "great" to begin. I just jumped right in! It was through DOING that I developed the skills necessary to propel me forward and sustain me for long term success.

Was I scared? Yes!

Was I uncertain? Yes!

Was it WORK?? Yes!!

Has it PAID off??? Yes...and it continues to do so each day.

Make TODAY the FIRST SUCCESSFUL day of the rest of your life~~Edie

Perspective...

Perspective is an amazing thing. Some say the glass is half empty, others that it is half full. In my journey of being a WAHM, I've seen so much potential go to waste simply due to perspective--or LACK of perspective. I do not know who wrote the story below, but I though it fitting to share.

THE WINDOW...

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy. Simply put: CHANGE your perspective and you CHANGE the world!