Sunday, July 31, 2011

Hello August...

As the month of July comes to an end, I find myself doing a lot of thinking. For one thing, my little boy turns two in a matter of days. Wow, they weren't joking when they said this time would fly by. I already miss the days of the gummy little mouth and pudgy cheeks. It's amazing how things can change. I have also been thinking of declaring a new New Year for myself... I'm already ready for a fresh start. I want to really get control of my business, family, and personal life and I think the best way for me to do this would be to declare September 1st as my early New Year! So, why not August 1st, which is tomorrow? Frankly, I'm not ready yet. I know myself well enough to know not to start one week before a vacation. So, for August, I'm going to prepare for my new year by reading up on my target areas of improvement. I'm also going to go a little bit easier on myself about some of these same areas...I need a mental break from myself :) Who says you have to wait until January 1st for a do-over? I'm sick of mediocrity...More details to come!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Welcome...First Post

Hi and welcome to the first ever post on Secrets of a Steel Magnolia! This blog has been marinating for a while but I'm so excited to finally start on it. This was a fantastic week for my business. I had a great Show on Monday with some solid bookings for after my leave! So excited about that. As an Army wife, I constantly struggle with scheduling, both in my business and my personal life. Mainly because the Army could not care less what your plans are...sometimes I'm convinced that it's a conspiracy against me. So far, my tips for dealing with Army schedule sabotage are as follows: don't get your hopes up. This might sound cynical but what I really mean by this is that you should try to keep your emotions out of planning as much as possible. Easier said than done, right? It never fails for my husband to bring home a "maybe" and I invest hopes, or maybe fears, in his "maybe". The army always moves in the opposite way that you expect.

So what does the army's plans have to do with your business (even if your not a military spouse). It's really a lesson in taking the emotion out of your business. If you've been in the direct sales industry for even a little while, you know that this is essential for success in this business. It's tough. I mean really tough to take emotions out of anything--especially if you're a woman. I still struggle with it everyday...and I always will. I have gotten better though. For example, when doing business phone calls (which I'm not particularly fond of) I make a list of people I need to call and I also write down a specific treat that I get from finishing it. This is nothing new, but have you ever reallytriedit? It works pretty well for me. What are some of your tips? Thanks for reading my first post! :)