1. First, and above all, my husband, and my boys
2. My friends – the old ones who know where I’ve been, and most recently my newer, online friends who can share my vision and see where I’m going.
3. My family – extended family. I have the greatest in-laws, and while my family is nowhere nearby, I know they’re always there.
4. My support system – that I have one, because there are so many that don’t.
5. Our Health – I say “our health” because right now every here is relatively healthy. (Keeping fingers crossed)
6. My Online Businesses – that although they aren’t at the point of replacing one of hubby’s salaries, they are at least making enough to supplement it, and take some of the pressure off.
7. Coffee! – Okay, had to throw that in there
8. Our situation – that being that hubby has two jobs that are making enough for me to stay home and take care of our boys, that we have 2 cars that run, and can make the mortgage every month – though we always wonder, and plan for “what would happen if…”

Oh, I could go on, but will just summarize it here by saying I definitely have a lot to be thankful for again this year!

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Wahms, Don’t Compare Yourself With Others!
By Carrie Lauth

Wahms, do you constantly compare yourself with others and come up short?

You know how it is…you feel like this wahm’s website looks better than yours, that wahm’s direct sales business is more successful than yours, and then there’s that one wahm who is everywhere spitting out infoproducts, seemingly in her sleep.

Do you torture yourself like this?

This is something I’ve been giving a lot of thought to lately. Maybe it’s because I had to take a long hiatus from my own business to start a baby growing, or maybe it’s because as women we just tend to compare ourselves with other women and focus on our perceived inadequacies. As wahms, we even tend to justify our negative thinking!

Whatever the case, I hope I can help you avoid this problem with some things that help me when my thoughts turn negative. First I’ll talk about why comparing yourself with others is a fruitless exercise, then give you some positive steps to take to help you stop it!

1) Comparing yourself to others is an incredible waste of energy.

Here’s why: We’re all unique individuals with different talents, skills and abilities.

One wahm may excel at technical aspects of web design while you can write great articles. One wahm may be a great networker who is always finding JV opportunities while you can optimize web pages with one hand, nursing a baby at the keyboard. One wahm may be a real people person while you’re great at testing and tracking your marketing efforts.

Use your unique talents and personality to your benefit in your business. Keep honing your skills and beefing up your weak points with learning, but don’t expect your basic personality to change! Celebrate your strong points.

If you need to, treat yourself like a child. When you do something you’re proud of in your business day, say out loud: “Great job! I’m so proud of you!” Or put a cute little sticker in your organizer, paint your toenails, drink something hot and yummy, whatever… just give yourself some positive reinforcement.

Let’s face it…wahms need more energy to do all they must do, don’t suck it up with negative thinking!

2) Comparing yourself with other wahms is unfair.

Everyone also has different challenges. Are you pregnant? Have little babies or toddlers? Several children? Chronic health problems? A special needs child? Are you a single wahm? A husband that works too much? Caring for an elderly relative? Limited budget? See what I’m getting at here?

Stop beating yourself up and acknowledge your challenges. We all deserve a pat on the back for doing something to improve our financial standing whilst caring for house and home!

Now, let’s talk about some of the things you can do to stop comparing yourself with others.

1) Decide whether this negative self talk is just moodiness/fatigue/morning sickness or whatever, or if you really DO need a kick in the pants. Proceed accordingly.

2) Acknowledge the challenges that you work around, mentioned above. Give yourself about one minute to do this.

3) Now get busy. Get your notebook (the one you keep within reach at all times when those great ideas come to your mind) and make sure you’ve completed your “Daily Activity Standard” (those activities that pay you that must be done daily). If so, spend 15 minutes working on that project you’ve put into bite sized pieces.

Finally, remember that appreciation attracts prosperity, and thoughts of lack and “woe is me” only repel it. And don’t waste any more time comparing yourself with other wahms!

Carrie Lauth publishes a free “no fluff” ezine full of helpful information for work at home Moms. Get your free copy plus free subscriber goodies at http://www.CarrieLauth.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carrie_Lauth

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While we all have our own ways of finding motivation, sometimes we all need a little shove. We’ll tell you what gets us moving when you don’t feel like doing anything at all.

One of the perks of owning a business is working your own hours. However, it can be very tempting to just say “I don’t feel like working today”. You do have the option to do that without “losing your job”. But every day you take off, the motivation to work on your business gets a little less.

Before you know it, your motivation is completely gone. You don’t feel like working at all, and start to feel your business is failing. Well of course it is if you aren’t doing anything! Obviously what you need to do is get your motivation levels back to normal. You have to WANT to work on your business to succeed. The best way to find motivation is actually pretty simple…

Read.

When you don’t feel like working directly on your business (or really don’t know what to do), this is the best time to do something indirect. Read, learn about new ideas, soak up information, and find new projects.

Read until you find the spark, and run with it. Which it WILL hit, simply because new ideas get us excited. Business owners love to be busy, or we wouldn’t be building a business to begin with.

Visit your favorite WAHM resource websites. First you’ll want to browse around the article / resource sections and – yup, you guessed it – read. Read the articles and make notes – no, not mental notes. Open a word processing document or even better, pull out that old notebook and pen. Make notes of anything that jumps out at you. Before you know it, you’re note taking session will turn into a “brain dump” listing all your ideas for your next project.

After you’ve read all the articles you want to, and you’re looking for some more motivation … hop on over to your favorite WAHM message boards. Browse around older topics and join in on some of the conversations. Visit your favorite blogs and read what they have been doing, or resources they recommend.

So the next time you feel your motivation lacking, go and learn something new or review things you’ve already learned. The main idea is to keep yourself involved one way or another. Keep active and the motivation will stay with you. You’ll be surprised how fast your business grows with motivation!

—————————————-
Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank, owners of DirectSalesHelpers.com strive
to help women succeed in direct sales. For additional help with your
direct sales business, visit http://www.directsaleshelpers.com

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