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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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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Going through some cards today at Send Out Cards, and this sentiment struck me as a good way of looking at the end of the year. Time flies, and we inevitably find ourselves saying “Where did the year go?”. When I look back at what I had set out to do with my biz in 2007 – and then look at what I accomplished this past year – the quote above sums it up.

I’m not going to cry because I didn’t get the Retreat Directory up at Mom’s Online Retreat. I have built up a list and can still keep that as a future plan for the site. There will be no tears shed over the marketing and web page building I did for TLC’s LifeTimez scrapbooking software, all to have that particular product discontinued. Such is the life of direct sales company products – and besides I’ve been able to turn those web pages into marketing pages for LifeTimez Online. Same content, just another venue. No regrets over the domain names I’ve purchased, but not done anything like I thought I would with them.

Instead I can smile because what was to be my online note card store has turned into a full fledged online greeting card business, and I’m able to use my SOC biz to grow my SOC biz – as well as keep in touch with my scrapbooking customers, team members – not to mention send some unexpected cards to family and friends, in turn hopefully making them smile. I’ll be proud that I’ve advanced to Advisor with TLC, and look forward to making it to Director – and qualifying for a Carribean Cruise! I’ll be thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed (such a formal sounding word) on me – through unexpected partnerships (though I now know there was a reason we 3 were brought together). First Val asking me to hook up with her on MomChats, and then the whirlwind conception of My WAHM Space and the brainstorming between me, Anita and Val – but, that story is for another post.

No crying, just smiling as I visualize my Reflections of 2008 post here this time next year!

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