WAHMs Motivated Forever!

A Letter to Mr. Potty - CafeMom

2008-02-24T06:54:00.003-10:00

I have to add another subject to my "Passionate About" list. I forgot to list HUMOR!!! I can't believe I forgot that. When I stumble pages on StumbleUpon that's one of the things I look for is HUMOR! And if I'm not mistaken that's one of the most popular subjects on StumbleUpon. I Love to laugh in the morning when I'm having my coffee. It sets me up for a good day all those happy chemicals just a dripping from my brain all over to the rest of my body. Then when the bills come, in droves, I'm better able to handle it. Know what I mean? HUMOR very important in my life.

I got this following post not from StumbleUpon but from one of the mom's at CafeMom. It's hilarious! Read on...

Dear Mr. Potty,

As you are well aware, my son has been attempting to use your assistance for the past two weeks.

I have concerns that I would like to discuss.

It has come to my attention that you are encouraging him to slam your lid shut, over and over again. Please do not do this. I fear he may harm his winkie - I've heard this can happen. While your at it, please don't continue to tell him it's o.k. to flush as many times as he can, before I yell, "Hey! Knock it off, mister!" That's right, I'm on to you.

No more finger-dipping, hand-splashing, yook-a-me-I-swimming! If these antics continue, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. And I think you know what I mean. The overuse of cleaning chemicals can be harmful to certain types of surfaces, like porcelain for example. It's true. I looked it up on the internet. It sure would be unfortunate if you found yourself in that situation, don't you think? Perhaps your cooperation might be effective in avoiding that unnessesary action.

So, seeing that we've come to an "understanding", I trust I will not:

1) Find Happy Meal toys at the bottom of your bowl
2) Hear water splash onto the bathroom floor
3) Stumble over squishy wads of soaked toilet paper in the middle of the night
4) Discover your handle in the bottom dresser drawer
Sincerely,
Johnny's Mom

List Of Things I'm Passionate About

2008-02-23T15:10:00.003-10:00

When I first started this blog I was in the dark about what I was doing. I would get so frustrated with the technical stuff. Now, I'm alright at it. It's been about 1 year since I started. Still, I'm no expert and sometimes it takes too much time to learn something. Better just to do it the old way.

One of the things I read over and over and over again (not in these exact words) was to streamline my subjects. The subjects should all be tailored to fit the blog title. Or so that's how I interpreted the information. That was really hard for me. This is a blog about a WAHM being and staying motivated on a daily basis so she can continue to over come obstacles that come her way while she's building a home based business which is a difficult task to say the least. Yes, building a home based business is not easy, it's difficult. And if you're not equipped with the right stuff you pack up and quit. Get that 9-5 job with little pay, never, ever enough and to top it off you don't get to hardly see your children. They are at the mercy, yes, mercy of other adults who most of them could really give 2 hoots about your child. Children come and go in their lives as public school servants. Their not the ones going to follow through with your children, you are. Never, ever place your children at the hands of public school servants. And yes, some do care but most of the times their hands are tied. Yes, I've had a lot of experience with public school hassles!

Ok, back to the subject at hand. Being and staying motivated is a topic that can encompass all kinds of topics. So, I've made a list of my passions that I'd like to write about that inspire me and motivate me day to day:

1. Ke Akua
2. My children
3. Going to the beach
4. Homeschooling
5. My home based candle business
6. Listing and Selling items on Mommy Auctions and Go Green Auctions
7. Primitive Country Crafts, any crafts
8. Learning about blogging
9. Cooking & baking
10. WordPress stuff
11. Graphics
12. Socializing on CafeMom
13. My group on CafeMom - Primitive Country Crafters & Graphic Designers
14. My group on CafeMom - Motivated WAHMs
15. Stumbling my favorite sites on StumbleUpon

So if you come here and you read my blog and it seems all over the place...it's not. It's just me writing about what motivates me and what inspires me and every once in awhile I'll share something that motivated another person. Or I'll share stuff that other noted motivational speakers are sharing.

Crow and Kitten are Friends

2008-02-07T09:25:00.000-10:00

Watch this and be inspired and motivated by two animals that are natural enemies. It speaks volumes about humans. It is a lesson from two animals, who are supposedly not as intelligent as humans, on how to overcome and get over differences.

May We All Be Coffee Beans!

2008-02-03T09:40:00.003-10:00

I know this has been posted in a lot of places but it's the first time I've seen it. Thanks to DivaDynamite over at CafeMom I wanted to pass it along as I think it's a very good visual on how we make ourselves feel sometimes:

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She dished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.

The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had greatly changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my outer shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying

Top 31 Motivation Hacks by Todd

2008-02-01T09:38:00.000-10:00

I came across this while Stumbling and thought it was so good that I wanted to share it on my blog which is about motivation. He lists 31 ways to stay motivated. It's easy and fun to read and I really enjoyed it. I just had a problem with this one: 13. Have a clear, clutter-free work environment Clutter in your physical space translates to clutter in the mind. Have a clean, fresh space to work in and your thoughts and actions will follow-suit. The problem is not what he said, it's me, I do have a cluttered workplace, and house, and I know it means I have a cluttered mind, which I do! So now I'm going to clear the clutter today! Please read this...

Top 31 Motivation Hacks

it is really too good not to if you want to...

Stay Motivated Forever!

Have You Always Wanted To Work From Home But Didn’t Know Where To Start?

2008-01-26T23:14:00.001-10:00

I was once in the same boat. I already knew my future would be in network marketing and owning a home based business but I didn’t know which one. I continued my schooling thinking that at least I could get a degree and enter a professional field if I can’t find a home based business that’s right for me. So I’m on my merry way, still clicking on different things here and there and lo and behold I get a package in the mail with 2 candle scent samples, a brochure, and some other pertinent information. I’m like “Wow!” this is cool.

I put it aside and check my email and in my box is the first lesson from an eCourse that was sent to me by the same person who sent me the package in the mail. I read the lesson and was truly inquisitive now about this business. A candle business? I hate giving parties and stuff like that it would never work for me. But still I continue to read the lessons that are arriving in my box every day now. I’m hooked by the 3rd lesson! All this information for a home based business, before I even decide to join? I’ve never heard of that before! Usually you don’t get diddly squat unless you already fork out the money to join.

Needless to say the eCourse really sold me. But they didn’t give it all away though. And that’s smart too because many a person has inquired about the business, gotten the eCourse only to join another candle company. So they save the rest for those who really team up with them. Smart.

Now this is what really caught my attention. All the while I’m doing this research, the person who was sending me this information was on vacation, if I remember correctly, in Peru? I called her cell phone and she answered! She was really cool about me calling her, of course I didn’t know she was on vacation. We talked several times, even though our call kept breaking up and then it got to a point where she was going to go somewhere where there was no reception at all.

No problem. I joined and signed up with the Yahoo Discussion Group and everyone welcomed me as if I was sponsored by them personally. Now how’s that? I was really impressed by that. Crossline and everyone was greeting me and answering my questions. About one week later my sponsor returns to North Carolina and immediately sends me a care package to get started. Not that’s not a requirement, to send a care package, but that’s what they were doing back then.

Now, here I am one year later with all kinds of obstacles that come my way but which cannot be overcome. Depends on your sights and what you have them set on.

I learned so much since I joined this business. Things about the internet I never knew and I continue to learn to, every day. But if it wasn’t for those first few lessons I received in the beginning I don’t know if I would be here today. Probably would still be hunting around for a home based business.

If you want to check out the Free Candle Business eCourse for yourself just click on the candle… and you’ll be on your way!

You Can Heal Your Life

2008-01-25T08:47:00.000-10:00

Hi everyone! Has anyone seen the movie "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise Hayes? I've read her book many times and really got a lot out of it. I ordered the movie from Border's but it hasn't come in. I guess I'll try ordering it from Amazon.com! If anyone's seen the movie can you share your thoughts on it?

Inspirational Video by a Young Man

2008-01-18T06:16:00.000-10:00

This is a video made by a young man for one of his college classes. I thought it was really good and was pleased to hear words coming from a young man who understands the power of the mind.

This song makes me think of my children which is really motivating for me!

2008-01-13T12:51:00.000-10:00

This song is dedicated to my children Lovely Day Bill Withers When I wake up in the morning, love
And the sunlight hurts my eyes
And something without warning, love
Bears heavy on my mind
Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me
Just one look at you
And I know it's gonna be
A lovely day
... lovely day, lovely day, lovely day ...

When the day that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to face
When someone else instead of me
Always seems to know the way

Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me
Just one look at you
And I know it's gonna be
A lovely day.....

When the day that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to face
When someone else instead of me
Always seems to know the way

Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me
Just one look at you
And I know it's gonna be
A lovely day...

Same Old Motivating Things

2008-01-11T15:44:00.001-10:00

Sometimes I feel so motivated about my home based candle business and my health and my family life that I want to explode to share it with everyone. But when I start to write my mind goes blank. It's a block. I think it's because I soon realize that what's motivating me today and almost every day I've already written about. To reiterate is not good writing is what I remember reading somewhere a while back. So I don't write. Today I've decided to write because if the same things are motivating me every single day then it must be a powerful motivator and as long as I talk about it every day someone may get the message that they too might use the same motivators for themselves. This is what is motivating me today and has been for awhile now. Since watching the movie "The Secret" my children and I have been saying to ourselves and sometimes out loud things that we are thankful for. Especially when the day is going bad and it's hard to think of even one thing to be thankful about. We'll think of even the littlest thing, like, Thank You for this computer that I'm using right now that helps me to run my very own home based candle business. And once we think of one thing it gets easier and easier to think of other things in our life to be thankful for. Am I rich because I practice being thankful? Is that all you should be thankful for, is to get rich? No, I'm not rich yet but I'm going to tell you that my headaches, the aching headaches I used to have when I woke up in the morning. The dizziness, the cloudiness, the not being able to turn my head quickly or bend down and pick something up because my head would spin round and round headaches. Those, are almost nil! Sure, once in a blue moon I'll get those awful excruciating headaches but hardly ever! When I consider that I used to get them almost every single morning making it almost impossible to concentrate on my home based business I am so grateful, thankful that it's not even funny! Having this new free from spinning head allows me to focus more on the things I have to do to have a smooth running home. Well, as smooth as can be not every home is ALL smooth! I think you should try it if you're negative about the whole thing. It costs you nothing to do it except for time.

What Is Creating?

2008-01-07T14:33:00.000-10:00

What is creating? When I think of the word "creating" I think art, painting, making something that's tangible. When I think of a creative person, I think of Mozart and Da Vinci.

But when I really think about it, the word creating pertains to everything! Every step we make, every action we take, every thought we have is a creation. That leaves me feeling great to know that I'm creative, and so are you, whether you want to be, like it or not. In fact right now, I'm "creating" a post.

What led me to think about this? I just created a new look at my CafePress store, Motivated WAHM! I looked at the store front and didn't think too highly of my "WAHM Apparel" and "WAHM Family" section design. But I Love my "5Star Kidstuff" section design. I added a couple of designs to my "5Star Kidstuff" section (with more coming in the future). That's when I started thinking how I'm not so creative. I had to set myself straight.

I've been working for days creating a WordPress site and a MySpace site. I like creating my own backgrounds and graphics so it's a whole new learning experience for me. I have to experiment with different sizes of images to make it fit whatever I'm working on. For instance, the MySpace background that I created, I have to go to Internet Explorer to change the background because it can't be done at Mozilla Firefox. So, I'll upload an image and it'll look fine on IE but will be off on Mozilla. So then, I have to go resize the image on Paint.net upload it to my Photobucket then upload it to MySpace profile editor. I go through the whole process again to see if it looks ok on Mozilla.

The results are pretty good if I may say so myself. Not stellar, but good and I'm pretty satisfied.

Creating is fun for this...

Motivated WAHM!

A Feeling Of Accomplishment

2008-01-06T10:25:00.000-10:00

Even the littlest things, like creating a banner for my new website, gives me a sense of accomplishment. As I feel like I'm accomplishing things I get more motivated to do more. The banner I designed isn't anything stellar like that. I'm not a graphic designer or an artist. But I did want to use a banner that is unique, matches my website, and I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for. Would you like to see my banner? I created 2, one for Kaipo's Scents and one for Cool Prim Stuff. For Kaipo's Scents I took one of my brick red table cloths and laid it out. I then placed candle wax tarts that I make and tried my best to balance the colors. I took a picture with my digital camera that is about 4 years old and uploaded on my computer. I saved it in .gif I believe and than saved it in .png and .jpeg. I exported the picture to Picasa2 where I gave it a glow and soft focus than exported it back to my pictures. Next I opened PowerPoint and inserted the picture on a slide. I used WordArt to make the text. I picked one that is outlined and the inside is transparent so my background shops up. I used the font "Witch" which I got from Rageddy Scrappin for free. I fiddled with the size and color of the text until it suited my taste. When I was finished I saved it to my pictures. I then went to my WordPress dashboard and under Presentation I clicked on Custom Image Header. There I uploaded my new banner. It's just about the same process with my Cool Prim Stuff site. Like I said it's not stellar graphics but it sure is satisfying to see something you made that's really not that bad. Motivation doesn't just come in famous quotes by famous successful people it can come in all sorts of events, or actions that are in your life or you read about in someone else's life that touches something in you and motivates you to get on with your own success...whatever that success may be for you right now. For me, it just so happens to be success in my home based candle business. And if you look behind that there are 3 beautiful faces that will benefit from my successful home based candle business. My 3 Stars!

An Inspiring Movie with Will Smith

2008-01-04T12:10:00.000-10:00

"The Pursuit of Happiness" starring Will Smith and his son Jaden is an inspirational, the man is still living and is about my age, story of Christopher Gardner and his son. Throughout the movie I kept getting this message...DETERMINATION...!!! This man went through hell to get where he wanted to go but he kept his eye on the end result, Loved his son wholeheartedly, to infinity and beyond, which helped him to stay focused ( I believe ). There's a few scenes in the movie that supposedly didn't really happen but you get the picture right? He didn't let anybody Steal His Dream! There's one scene in particular that sticks in my head. That's when his son is shooting baskets and tells his father something. His father answers him negatively, something to the effect that his son can't be a basket ball player or measure up to a famous basket ball player. After thinking about his answer he calmly tells his son

"Don't ever let anybody tell you you can't do something. Not even me. Just because someone can't do something they want to tell you that you can't do it either."

Very powerful words for me. I was told as a child so many negative things. I'm sure there are many of us who have been told the same thing. I even catch myself saying negative things to my children (I'm not a perfect parent) and catch myself telling the same thing that Will Smith says to his son in the movie. His obstacles and his determination and his belief that he could accomplish what he wanted to accomplish is the same kind of thinking I need with my home based candle business. If you'd like to learn more about the man that Will Smith portrays in the movie

The Pursuit of Happyness you can visit his website at

http://www.chrisgardnermedia.com/index.htm

At his website you can also order his book. I Thank Ke Akua every day for people like Christopher Gardner who share their inspiration with everyone.

Great Article by Jackie Ulmer

2007-10-29T10:48:00.000-10:00

MLM Moms By Jackie Ulmer If you are a mom (or even a dad!) building an MLM business and wondering how to keep balance and sanity in your life, then this MLM training segment was written just for you. So, let's chat - mom to mom. First, let me share a little of my story so you'll know that I've "been there, done that" and am not talking some MLM theory. I've built my business through baby number one, a pregnancy, baby number two, and on up to my current position of one teenager and one pre-teen. All the while, my kids were at my feet and I was home with them. Simple? No! Fast growing? Nope! Worth it? Every second! Perhaps like you, when my husband and I decided to have children, we were adamant that one of us would be home with them. Since he was the major breadwinner, that meant I would be home. And, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. But, it's hard to make it on one income, so I began looking for a business. Long story short, MLM kept coming up, and although I was skeptical, I educated myself and jumped in. Today, I am happy to be among the ranks of the six figure MLM income earners, but it didn't happen overnight; it wasn't easy; and there were many times along the way that I wanted to quit. Does this sound familiar to you? Here are some ideas that I hope will help you as you move along your MLM journey, especially as a mom building strong kids and a strong business. 1. Get very clear on your reason why. This will sustain you when someone tells you no, or things get slow. Make sure your why is very powerful to you and that it means more to you than what anyone else might say or think. For me, the ability to create a fabulous lifestyle for my family and to never have my kids in day care meant more to me than anyone else's opinion. 2. Realize that as a mom with small children, you will have to balance and prioritize in a different way. Communicate with your sponsor and your team about your commitment, your priorities and how you will balance the two. Never feel the need to compromise your values in building your MLM business. I didn't and you don't have to either. 3. Get organized. And, I mean in every area of your life. Organize your business and your life. Set up one calendar with everything about home and business. Mark out times that are strictly family, and every other non-negotiable time in your life. Then, (and this is important) find times each day that you will work your business. Commit to these times, no matter how small the time frame. Be consistent and don't procrastinate. 4. Ask for help in anyway that you can. Talk to your spouse about taking the kids for an hour so you can make calls. Talk about splitting up household duties differently. Invest in help as your budget allows. I know hiring a cleaning lady was a priority for me as my business and profits grew. The grocery store can help with this. Buy pre-chopped fresh vegetables; marinated meats; and whatever you can to make things simpler. I am a stickler on healthy meals and nutrition, so I have never resorted to the "fast food" syndrome. Get a crock-pot and use it! Make healthy, delicious meals a snap. 5. Form a babysitting coop with other moms in your area. Then, use it and reciprocate. I used the times I babysat other kids as playtime for my kids, and then used the times when my kids were at a friend's to work my business. This was an amazing resource for me as my kids never felt like they were at a babysitters. They just saw it as a play date with someone from the play group. 6. Set clear goals and intentions for your business. As Yoda said to Luke in Star Wars II, "There is no try. There is only do, or do not." Same for your business. Make success non-negotiable. It's a marathon, and not a sprint. So what if it takes you seven years to become a top income earner, or hit your income goal. Will it be any less worth it? NO! Make it happen. 7. Work on Self Development. MAKE time for it. If you look for time in your schedule, it will never happen. You must make time for your business and make time for the very important task of developing your mindset and growing your business from the inside out. This is the single MOST important ingredient in your business. 8. Use Technology - Today, with the internet and all of the tools out there, keeping in touch: delivering timely information to your prospects; training to your team and even putting yourself out there so that people who are ready and looking for a business NOW can find you through the search engines. Do NOT let technology scare you. I had moderate success in MLM doing it the "old fashion" way. I created a full time income, but not "obscene money." Today, using the internet exclusively in my business, I'm a VERY HAPPY Six Figure Income Earner working about 30 hours a week. I'm able to work fewer hours than the "typical networker" because I let technology be my sales force and "PR People!" 9. Get your kids involved - From the time kids are two, and maybe even younger, you can find helpful, fun and educational ways to get them involved in your business. In my business, toddlers can place labels on brochures, the bottom of candles and other products, envelopes, etc. They can fold letters, stamp postcards, and have a great time "working" alongside of mom. Relax, and let go of your perfectionism. When was the last time you paid any attention to how straight the stamp is on a letter you received in the mail? Get them involved in non-business activities, too. My 13 year old son made dinner for our family the other night. Now, if you are thinking he pulled out the box of Mac-n-Cheese, think again. He made baked chicken with Apricot/Mango Sauce; Quinoa; Green Beans with Pine Nuts and Red Peppers and a salad with goat cheese. I'm really not kidding. I LOVE to cook and have always loved having my children cook right alongside of me. Now, he is ready to do his own thing. Imagine what kind of time that offers me! 10. Compare yourself to no one! This is so important. Who are you competing with? Only yourself. That's truly it because competing with anyone else is like apples and oranges. Everyone has different strengths, weaknesses, life challenges, ambition and goals. Comparing yourself to anyone else is a waste of energy. If you must compare, then use yourself and your past accomplishments as the measuring stick. Track your steps and then strive for more each week. Your business will soar! 11. Reward yourself. Life is meant to be fun and so is business. In the beginning, it's more difficult to set income goals, because you are building the foundation. This was always frustrating to me, until I discovered that by setting activity goals in the beginning, I could track my progress and feel good about the steps I was taking along the way to make things happen. And, as my action steps picked up, the rewards kept coming, and my business kept growing, producing those earlier elusive income goals. So, look inward and take outward action. Get busy charting your own game plan and focus forward. Along the way, treat yourself for a job well done. And, it doesn't have to be extravagant. Make it fun, though! 10. Believe in the power of your dream. The subconscious mind is a funny thing. It does not know the difference between what is real and imagined. So, since YOU are the one who controls your thoughts, daydream some powerful thoughts. Let your mind go nuts as you wander through your own field of dreams. And, while you are "there," BELIEVE it! Believe it and it will come true. As a mom, you have the ability to offer the greatest gifts of all to your children and your family. You have the ability to raise happy, wholesome and educated children. You have the ability to contribute to the family income without the need for make-up, pantyhose, or glass ceilings. What a relief! You truly have the ability to "have it all" and "have enough" without compromising your children along the way. Grasp the opportunity before you! I promise, you will never regret it. About the Author Jackie Ulmer, a veteran Network Marketer, has coached and trained thousands of representatives both inside and outside of her sales organization. Her passion is inspiring others to succeed in their own dream. Contact her or sign up for her newsletter through her website: http://www.streetsmartwealth.com

Motivated by this book for over 10 years

2007-10-28T08:03:00.000-10:00

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I first read this book about 17 years ago. I joined Amway as a Distributor and we were in Dexter Yeager's group. I know lots has happened with the group, Amway, and ordering of Distributor materials but I have to say that I'm grateful that I was a part of that group because it was then that I was introduced to a way of thinking and being that was so logical to me and made so much sense to me.

Do I still have a copy of Think and Grow Rich? Absolutely! It's in my collection of books that I've kept since I was first introduced to this way of thinking. It was exciting to know that I could change my life by changing the way I think. I had no idea how deeply embedded negative thinking was in my mind. I still to this day catch myself gravitating and being pulled to all the negative things that are happening in my life while fully ignoring all the really great things that are happening in my life.

For example, I live in a wonderful house. It has 3 bedrooms, is spacious for our needs and has a big yard. We have all the necessities, a washing machine, rice cooker, computer, 2 tv's, 2 vcr/dvd players, toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, dishes, food, the list goes on and on. What do I mull over? The leak in our kitchen sink! Fully fretting over it! When the best thing to do is recognize I have a leak and call the plummer on Monday to fix it. In the meantime, be careful with using the sink and then go back to being happy about all the things that I do have and that are nice.

Reading Think and Grow Rich was a catalyst for change in my life. I'm very happy that I read it and I continue to read it...in fact it's the book I'm reading again right now. That's what prompted me to write about it.

You can order the book directly from: The Napoleon Hill Foundation where there is also a workbook offered. I'm not an affiliate (I don't even know if they offer an affiliate program) so I don't make money from it.

You can download it as well for free here: Think and Grow Rich

Procrastination Funny!

2007-08-22T13:25:00.001-10:00

Where'd You Like to Meet?

2007-08-21T11:53:00.000-10:00

Last night while driving my oldest daughter to the airport my 9 year old daughter Rel started a discussion on the differences between two very popular spiritual movies, The Secret and The Peaceful Warrior.

She brought the discussion up because I was feeling forlorn over my oldest leaving us for two years. Sure she'll be back but still there'll be very long absences. Now this step in her life is a very important step and it has to be taken for her to grow as a person. But, mommy, being very protective worries over how she'll get to school, to work, how she'll pay her bills, will she like her new job after she gets one and on and on. So to make myself feel better I tried to explain, to myself, by talking to the children, about "the journey" and enjoying "the journey" as Socrates in the Peaceful Warrior taught Dan Millman who went on to become an outstanding athlete and author of the spiritual book "The Peaceful Warrior" put it. In this case the journey that my daughter will take to get her degree. I also brought up some points I learned from the movie by Rhonda Byrne, "The Secret." We watch both movies over and over.

The graph above shows how all spiritual teachings overlap one another and at the very center, where they all meet or where they have a common thread.

This is what Rel had to say, "but mommy, The Peaceful Warrior and The Secret are different. How can you use both of the movies to make you feel better? You can only use one or the other. The Peaceful Warrior tells you to stay in the now and The Secret tells you to look to the future. You can't do both mommy!" Ok, now I have a job on my hands! How do I explain such deep meaning movies to my 9 year old child...hmmm...think...think!

Ok here is what I told her but before I go on The Peaceful Warrior is now TPW and The Secret is now TS for the purpose of this post only. And also keep in mind that this is the way I see it and I don't speak for the general public, only for me because it works for me.

When watching TS the main point that came across to me was to try to fit some happy thoughts into my mind once in awhile or most of the time. Most of my time I really focus on things that stress me out especially where money is concerned. I started to think about things that made me happy. I could hardly remember any happy childhood stuff until I went on a trip to Oahu with my siblings. Riding along in a car together we spent most of our time laughing, teasing, and joking with each other. It was so much fun! From there I was able to start remembering a whole lot of stuff we used to do together as children that brought back such delightful memories. I started to think of my children all the time, seeing their smiling faces and especially hearing their voices telling me how much they loved me. I started to think about the beach and all the fun times we have at the beach together.

Another thing that TS suggests is to recite in your head all the things to be grateful for. I do that religiously! From the time I get up, throughout the day, and until I fall asleep. Sometimes I'll be driving and I'll look to the beautiful mauka side of the islands and am just in amazement at its majestic...ness! I'll recite in my mind how thankful I am to be able to witness its majestic...ness.

Now, did my money problems all of a sudden disappear? No, of course not. But I'm happier now, happier than I've been in a long time. And, I'm not getting sick like I used to. My health isn't 100% good, I still get sick but not nearly as much as before. My head is clear most of the time, I'm more organized (to a really organized person I'm still disorganized), and I'm just plain old happier.

TPW.

..wow! What a GREAT book and a GREAT movie! And with Nick Nolte, whew, I'll always think Socrates is Nick Nolte now! I absolutely adore Nick Nolte! I read TPW about 15 years ago when I was still on Guam. I remember reading it to my college girl when she was little and playing soccer. I believe it helped her because she went on to become a very adept soccer player and was voted as an all-star island player by the coaches. She was the youngest player ever selected at that time. She was an all around player too but her favorite position was defense and goalie.

The message that TPW gave me was powerful...stay in the now. At that time I was always remembering my past and it was affecting how I performed in my now. Another deep message for me was "take the trash out!" I would start to imagine a garden (I didn't make this up someone else did) filled up with weeds and growing over all my pretty flowers. I saw myself pulling out the weeds that represented thoughts that weren't helping me and making way for my pretty flowers to grow.

It's taken years but with the help of all the other spiritual books I've read and all the other spiritual movies I've seen I've come a long way. Even now I continue to grow. Why just this morning I had a blow out with my youngest son and didn't act in accordance with what TPW and TS so painstakingly try to teach me! But I know enough now to bounce back, take the trash out, fill my mind with some thoughts that make me happy and go from there.

My point is this, the two movies have a meeting point. They meet in the mind where they're telling me to take out the thoughts from my mind that are causing havoc in my life. They tell me the same thing in different ways and that's what I love about all the different authors of spiritual books. The more they tell the same story in different ways the more people they can reach with their message that really does seek to help a person live a happier life. I see such earnestness in all of the teachers, Dan Millman, Bob Proctor, Dr. John DeMartini, John Assaraf. Yes, there's money involved if you want some of their teachings but they also give out a heck of a lot of free stuff too!

If we look at it as one or the other than it becomes like religion. You know, all religions have a meeting point where they agree. Yet, they tend to focus on the differences they have. Then their followers split up and it's not a happy scene in a lot of places.

That's how I explained it to my 9, 12, and 20 year old children. I hope they always see the beauty in what these spiritual teachers are teaching us.

Lisa Nichols on Maui

2007-08-15T16:30:00.000-10:00

Lisa Nichols lending me her beautiful and bright smile for picture taking! I wanted to stay and take a picture with her but my children were calling me like crazy so I had to buzz.

Hmmm, let's see, how can I give these out to people for free? She did too...it was wonderful!

Talk about motivation and inspiration! I was really motivated to see Lisa Nichols at The Maui Beach Hotel last night. I'd heard about it in the morning and borrowed $25.00 from my daughter to go see her.

She told us stories of her childhood growing up and some of the challenges she had to overcome. The audience that could relate to what she was saying would raise one or two hands up or stand with two hands raised depending on the intensity of the relationship to what she was saying. There was a wave of hands raised to be sure.

Wise in her young life, Lisa is a dynamic speaker with true life stories to back up her teachings. She's down to earth and offers guidance in a not so conforming manner but nonetheless effective in its own right.

Her motto seemed to be to make us become "significantly uncomfortable" because if we want to get ahead we have to do some things that are significantly uncomfortable. Exercises were done to make us kind of squirm but we did it anyway because most of us there wanted to glean from her what she had to learn on her own "in the dark of the night" where she did all her searching for answers.

Part of that was to stop the "chatter" in her head that many of us know we have too. Some are unconscious so that we aren't even aware that our "chatter" is telling us we are not capable or whatever but the limiting belief has a total negative effect on the positive that we are working on accomplishing in our life.

The one saying she gave us, and this came from her grandmother was, Winners never quit! Quitters never win!

She's also going to be at the Unity Church on Sunday so I hope to make it. Afterwards she's conducting an all day workshop from 1pm - 7pm which I cannot attend. That's beach day with my children!

Attending this talk is phenomenal in helping me to...

Stay Motivated Forever!

Sophia Loren Quote

2007-08-06T12:50:00.000-10:00

To me Sophia Loren is like the most Beautiful Woman in the world. I've named my oldest daughter Sophia after Sophia Loren. Just read the quote that follows from her:

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

Sophia Loren

How true that is and how motivating for me, a WAHM, to hear that. To hear from someone famous like her that my decisions are not only based on my wants and needs but also my children's. When I decided to pursue and never give up finding a home based business it was always with the thought that I wanted to be able to be home with my children. It's hard as a single parent and even in a 2 parent household to have one of the parents home to care for the child. The way prices are going up but salaries still being mediocre even in a 2 parent household they both have to work to make ends meet. I hear it all the time. So it must be more so for a single parent. This mother, this WAHM thought twice about the path she is taking, once for myself, the thought of being home with my children, and once for my children, to have a mother to be there when they need her.

Every family will be different but that is what I want for my family and when discussing it with my children it's also what they want. Just hearing someone I admire say what rings through my mind is something that helps me to...

Stay Motivated Forever!

Quote by Meryl Streep

2007-08-05T21:25:00.000-10:00

Every single decision I make about what material I do, what I'm putting out in the world, is because of my children.

Meryl Streep

It's so refreshing and motivating to me to read quotes from some of the greatest actors in the world. To know that they are famous and seemingly untouchable but yet they have the same concerns for their children as any other mom does. Is she a WAHM, no, she's not. She does not work at home...but...she makes so much money in a few months of the year making a movie, enough to tide her over for years I would think. I could be wrong. The point is that she gets to spend a lot of time with her children which is what a lot of us WAHMs aspire to do. Since we can't be famous actors, well I'll speak for myself, we can at least build a business at home that allows us to spend time with our children and raise them as we see fit. Every single decision she makes is centered around her children, not unlike a WAHM who will carefully shop for the perfect home based business, something that matches her passion, her pocketbook, and her belief. There'll be more quotes from this wonderful mom! She's humorous and down to earth with a very no nonsense attitude. I got motivated from reading her quote. I read motivational quotes as just another way to...

Stay Motivated Forever!

WAHMs Motivated Forever!: Homeschool WAHM

2007-08-03T09:06:00.000-10:00

WAHMs Motivated Forever!: Homeschool WAHM

Homeschool WAHM

2007-08-03T08:53:00.000-10:00

One of the things that motivates me the most to build a home based business is my children. Two of my children are in elementary and middle school. They both want to be homeschooled and I want to homeschool them so it works out perfectly.

I started a blog to log what we are doing with our homeschooling and what progress we make. This is not only for me but for the school when I need to submit their progress.

Here's the link:
http://homeschoolwahm.blogspot.com
There I'll also start to list resources for homeschoolers as I come upon the ones I like.
Just another reason for this WAHM to...

Stay Motivated Forever!

Listen to music that Motivates You!

2007-07-30T11:25:00.000-10:00

The other day my 9 yr. old was cleaning her room. She took the radio from her brother's room and they proceeded to argue over who's room the radio should be in. Her argument was that, at that point in time, she was cleaning her room and there is a certain song on a certain CD she was listening to that helped her to keep motivated to clean her room. So, this is how I settled the argument. I said, the radio doesn't belong in any particular room but for now it should be in her room because really and truly, I wanted her to clean her room. Then the radio would be put back in her brother's room and they were to take turns or go into each other's room to listen to music. She proceeded to supply her brother with a portable CD player, batteries, and ear phones to tide him over in the meantime. Now, my older 20 yr. old also has to listen to music when cleaning, and really loud too. Even when she's studying, she's a Jr. in college. I ask how she can possibly study with her music and she says if she doesn't play it she'll fall asleep. I remember when I was young, I too had to listen to music to clean house. I still do but the music I listen to has changed drastically! The music this Motivated WAHM listened to back then gives me a headache. I now like to listen to classical and piano music. My favorite is actually Christmas music which I listen to all day long using Live365. Live365 (I'm not an affiliate but am a member) has a wide selection of independently owned radio stations that you can choose from. There's several Christmas stations and I listen to all of them. That is what I'm listening to right now, when I post, when I write, when I check my email, when I look at my Vision Board Slide Show, when I make my crafts, when I cook, when, when, when....I close a post and say to everyone....

Stay Motivated Forever!

On Overcoming Hopelessness

2007-07-29T08:54:00.001-10:00

"If you think prevailing conditions have the power to force you into a life of mediocrity, you are selling yourself short. Unfortunately, however, if you believe it, that is what will happen."

You Are What You Think
Doug Hooper
Page 56

When Fear Causes You Harm, Activate the Patronus Charm

2007-07-28T14:38:00.000-10:00

My children and I watched the latest Harry Potter Movie, “Order of the Phoenix”, just recently. We loved it as we love all Harry Potter movies but this is not a review of the movie. I’m going to take a small event from the movie and expand on it. I would like to focus on the Patronus Charm that is used by wizards and witches alike against the ugly, yukky dementors! In case you never watched the movie, a dementor is a black shadowy figure that flies around feeding off of people’s emotions, most notably that emotion of fear. The only way to keep from having the life sucked out of you is to know how to activate the Patronus Charm. The Patronus Charm is simply, but not so simple to do, conjuring up a strong happy thought. It’s similar to what you need to do to be able to fly in “Peter Pan”. In both cases you have to hold fast to the happy thought. If the Patronus Charm is activated successfully a beautiful white lighted whispery figure appears that, and this is how I understood it, holds the happy thought. The dementors are deterred by this white lighted figure and fly away. An unsuccessful Patronus Charm will allow the dementor to literally feed off of your emotions and suck the energy out of you leaving you in a depressed state. A dementor is simply put (everything is so simple isn’t it?) a symbol of our fears. The more we concentrate on our fears the more our energy is used to deal with these fears leaving us tired and fatigued. It becomes a vicious circle where a thought of fear begets more fearful thoughts until we reach such a state of sadness and depression we find it hard to function. Luckily, most of us don’t remain in that state. How do we get out of it? The thing is, and this is so hard to understand, we have the ability to conquer any fears we might have. Little or big, most fears are just things we choose to focus on. With a little help from the symbol of a Patronus Charm, we too can use our very own magic and conjure up happy thoughts. With each happy thought we remember or make up, more comes to the forefront of our mind until we are in such a state of happiness that our fears have no room to live in our mind. They’re still there in the mind but not at the forefront. What does this have to do with network marketing? Well, there are many fears with network marketing. The first one that comes to my mind is fear of failure. A person may join with a network but if the fear of failure persists in the mind then guess what? The actions that need to be taken in order to make a success of the network marketing business will not be taken which will eventually lead to failure. Another one that comes to my mind, and this happens to me, is fear of approaching people and being rejected. So, we never approach anyone, never get rejected, and consequently never have anyone join us in our network marketing business. If you read this, please know that you can rid yourself of those darned demented dementors! It really works, I should know. I used to always focus on my unhappy memories to the point where I didn’t know I had any happy memories. I slowly started to cling to one happy memory and I just concentrated on that. Soon, another happy memory popped into my head and another and another until I can’t stop the happy memories from popping into my head. Was it easy? No, it wasn’t, not for me. This is the thing though; I’m just an ordinary person, just like most everyone else. If I can do it, so can you other ordinary person, so can you!

Awesome Interview with Kelly McCausey of WAHM Talk Radio

2007-07-07T09:21:00.000-10:00

Like the title says, this was an awesome interview with Kelly McCausey of WAHM Talk Radio. She is a pioneer for online radio...stuff. If you want to learn more you'll have to listen to her interview. She is down to earth with her story of how she started, her trials and tribulations, and how she overcame it all and is now a happy work at home mom. She inspires other WAHMs to keep on going when the going is rough, make decisions, carry them out, always know you'll make mistakes along the way, but they too can be overcome. If you are a WAHM, this is a must listen too! I'm telling you! Just another way to help WAHMs around the world to:

Stay Motiveated Forever!

On Bob Proctor

2007-07-03T12:51:00.001-10:00

I'd never heard of Bob Proctor, or if I had I forgot, before the movie "The Secret" came out. Since I watched the movie I've followed Bob Proctor and his teachings. I get his motivational quotes every day in my email and I read them. I don't know if this is coincidence or not (there are no coincidences) but every time, the quote he sends has something to do with what's happening to me and I can relate to the message the quote is trying to impart. This morning was no different, well in a way it was, because now I'm writing about Bob Proctor on my blog. His message this morning was to find what your purpose is, create a vision of you doing things that are in line with your purpose, and set goals or action steps to take to fulfill that purpose and vision. Make sacrifices, not the way you think of sacrifice but sacrifice things from your life that are not in line with fulfilling your real purpose. For instance, if you watch too much tv and it doesn't do anything to help you in fulfilling your purpose than you might consider sacrificing some of your tv time. If you spend too much money eating out, you might sacrifice some eating out nights for eating at home and saving that money to go towards your business. He talks about negativity, which people in network marketing are so aware of. People are always telling us not to do it! He talks about how we were introduced to focusing on the negative from small kid time when the teacher grades our paper with red marks on the answers we get wrong. That's what we focus on, the wrong we do. So our training makes it easy to cave in to negativity because that's what we were doing since we were young. It takes a lot of energy and effort to break away from the status quo, and network marketing, although it's come a long way, is still not the status quo. So many of us would rather settle for earning a meager living because it's much more comfortable than facing the negativity monster in our environment. This is what I've been doing and it's a hard battle not to cave in to fulfilling someone else's purpose, vision, and goals (working for someone to make their dreams come true, make it so that their wife can stay home and care for their children while mine is at a babysitter, you know the drill). Receiving Bob Proctor's messages every morning is really helpful to me and is one of the things I read while having my morning coffee. You can receive his messages too. They're free at: http://www.bobproctor.com/insights.asp?CID=-1 Listen to his messages to help you:

Stay Motivated Forever!

Motivation and Creativity

2007-07-01T17:38:00.000-10:00

Remember in a post awhile back I talked about creativity as a source of motivation? Well, today my 20 yr. old made her first diaper cake and baby shower favors! It all turned out soooo nice! Finding the materials was fun even though we had to go back and forth to stores. We don't have much here on Maui. Everything's on Oahu! The theme for the diaper cake is "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too...It's never too early to read to your bundle." She purchased a set of Winnie the Pooh first readers which created the title of her cake. Try it some time. When your stuck and you just can't get motivated to do your business...take a little break and make something. There are tons of sites that have fun and easy craft ideas. One of my favorites is Craft Ideas. She works hard to make available different craft projects for every season but it is for personal use only. When you do take time out for creativity really free your mind from the business because your focus is solely on creating something and having fun! Creativity is also very healing. Another aspect of creativity that I like is gardening. I've started a garden in my yard and have herbs, ti leaves, ferns, and strawberry plants. In fact my 2 children just ran in shouting "Mom, we have a red strawberry on our plant!" This will be a later post but for now I want to post some pictures of my daughter's diaper cake!

The books are nestled in the layers. See Tigger hanging on! The bottom is a growth chart made of cloth. The middle layer is a beautiful soft blanket with a Tigger applique and the top layer is wrapped with a towel. See how she exposed the applique of the towel? Very creative and I'm really proud of her! This is the back side of the diaper cake. These are the booties favors she made. They're stuffed with kisses candy wrapped in tulle tied with blue curling ribbon.

What Are You Made For?

2007-06-13T13:35:00.000-10:00

I was made to be a motivational, inspirational WAHM (work at home mom/mother) with a successful home based candle business which brings in a 6 figure income. I was made to be a good mother, raising happy children and having fun with them, having more than enough to care for my family – That is what I was made for. Have you ever been asked that question? What are you made for? And then, if someone asks you that question…do you know what you were made for? And when is the best time to answer a question like that? When just getting up in the morning after coffee? Or right before bedtime? Timing might weigh heavily on the way you answer that question. It’s a heavy question, to me at least. It’s almost like asking “what is the meaning of life?” So when I read that question it was 11pm and I was doing research for a topic I’m interested in doing an article on. I was really tired! Looking up subject matter for this topic is not easy and took me a couple of days. I had to read each one to make sure it was a match and appropriate for what I was looking for. My eyes were criss-crossing and blurry already when I was posed with that question. But I was surprisingly clear on my answer. You read my answer in the first paragraph of this article. I went into a trance and just started to write as the wording popped into my head without a second thought. It was almost as if something took over and started writing for me. And no, I’m not a medium or anything close to that. It just didn’t feel like the physical me writing. But this just goes to show how deep in my unconscious my belief in who I am is. I was renewed! Through everything…I know what I was made for. Knowing this, I am confident that with each step I take I am unconsciously fulfilling goals that reflect what I believe I am made for. It’s wonderful! What were you made for? You don’t have to post or comment but think about it and maybe you’re confidence in yourself and what you do every day will rise like mine did. Events and happenings like this are just one little way that I…

Stay Motivated Forever!

Please Help - Missing Child - Madeleine McCann

2007-06-12T21:19:00.000-10:00

Madeleine McCann missing in Portugal. Have you seen her?

Please contact Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111, +44 1883 731 336

Madeleine McCann desapareceu em Portugal. Tem informações sobre o seu paradeiro?

Por favor contacte Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111, +44 1883 731 336

Madeleine McCann News Widget

madeleinemccann.blogspot.com

How to Make Peanut Butter and Jam/Jelly Sushi Rolls

2007-06-12T13:08:00.001-10:00

My 9 yr. old daughter and I had a lot of fun putting this slide show together. She learned how to make PB&J Sushi Rolls when she was in the first grade, Lihikai Elementary, from her teacher Mrs. C. Nishimitsu. Ever since then she makes it all the time for snacks for her family.

Watch the slide show tutorial and take notes! Doing this joint venture with my 9 yr. old is just another way that this WAHM...

Stays Motivated Forever!

Motivation is the Key to MLM and Network Marketing

2007-06-12T11:06:00.000-10:00

Motivation is the Key to MLM and Network Marketing By Richard Quek In a multi-level marketing (MLM) company, distributors of a product recruit more distributors, and those distributors will then recruit more distributors, and so on. These programs often appeal to individuals who are hoping to make some money quickly. However, true MLM success usually takes a lot of time and effort. Therefore, one of the biggest difficulties in reaching MLM success is staying motivated. Typical MLM distributors are initially very excited about the possibilities that MLM companies offer and consequently throw themselves into their new work. Unfortunately, if they do not start making impressive amounts of money quickly, they may soon give up. This is, at least in part, due to the exaggerated sales pitches that are often used to recruit new distributors. In reality, it is possible to make money through a MLM company. But, depending on how the MLM company’s compensation plan is set up, it might be a long time before new distributors make money. The reason for the profit delay is quite simple. Distributors make money by earning commissions of the sales of the people they have recruited. Distributors also receive commissions on the sales of people who were recruited by the distributor’s recruits. So, the bigger the network that a distributor creates, the more money he or she will make. But large networks are not developed over night. While a network is developing, a distributor must remain motivated and constantly put forth an effort to recruit more people. Distributors should also try to motivate the people they recruited, since their success is inseparable. Motivation begins during recruitment. In other words, although distributors must portray the MLM system in a favorable way and provide examples of people who have made large sums of money, distributors should not exaggerate financial possibilities in a way that will make people expect immediate results and give up after these expectations are not met. In order to stay motivated, distributors should develop a long term and realistic plan. This plan should include goals, in terms of money made and people recruited, as well as the amount of time that will be devoted to work for the MLM company during each week. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Richard Quek -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get your F-R-E-E Report on the 7 Secrets To MLM Success ==>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ezymlmsecrets.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Quek -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://EzineArticles.com/?Motivation-is-the-Key-to-MLM-and-Network- Marketing&id=601833 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Network Marketers Actions Help to Create World Peace

2007-06-08T16:45:00.000-10:00

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the words “Network Marketer?” Do you have visions of a world peace maker? Probably not. I bet even Network Marketers never see themselves as world peace makers. When you picture a world peace maker people like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa, to name only two, come into mind immediately. So why am I saying that Network Marketers help to create world peace?

For those of you that haven’t a clue as to what a Network Marketer is, we are a group of people, in the hundreds of thousands located around the world, that engage in business together as team mates and partners. Some of us are distributors for companies located in many countries around the world and some of us (like me) are distributors for companies located in just the United States, its territories, and Canada. We are distributors of everything and anything you can imagine from nutritional supplements, to skin care, to candles. Once signed up we can now purchase products at wholesale, we can retail products, and we can sponsor other people into the business to buy at wholesale as well. If we have any hope of making any money from this business we must hold steadfast to this number one rule: help others, not only in your own team, but on other teams, and many times, other network marketing businesses to succeed and make money as well. If you don’t follow this number one rule you’ll never succeed in Network Marketing. This is where world peace comes in.

We don’t only sponsor people from our own country or people of our own race. We are all of different races, cultures, and religions. We put our differences aside, no not aside, we get rid of our differences because, you see, although our aim is to make money (what person goes into business to not make money?) we also aim to help others make money. Everyone has a dream they would like to see materialize and everyone has a right to pursue that dream and see it materialize. We can’t help someone see their dreams materialize if we are holding negativity towards that person. That person will sense it and probably drop out to join another sponsor.

In order to get rid of our differences we must first look at ourselves. What is it about “me” that I need to improve? What is it that I fear so much? Do I harbor negative thoughts all day long? Do I blame everything under the sun and their mother for my misfortunes? Do I concentrate on the bills I have piling up instead of my goals. All these negative thoughts are a setup that makes us more prone to dishing out negativity towards others, including our team mates. The negativity spreads like a virus and people slowly start dropping out or losing interest in their business. We work and work on ourselves and it is a constant process not just a 30 day crash course on making us positive thinkers. And Network Marketers know that this is a constant process. For me it’s a rather fun process and I just love it because it makes my days more enjoyable too.

So now you have hundreds of thousands of Network Marketers around the world constantly working on themselves and working peacefully with each other. It is not a perfect picture. Nothing is perfect, but for the most part all of these Network Marketers are sending a message to the universe. We are all connected. Even if the benefits of getting rid of differences because of race, culture, and religion is more plain to see in Network Marketing if one were to really look deeper one could see that the idea that we are all connected becomes visible.

WAHMs Stay Motivated Forever! with these tips from a Single WAHM

2007-06-06T15:42:00.000-10:00

I am a single work at home mom. My motivation is my children. I have a passion to succeed at my home based candle business so I can home school my children one of which has a learning disability. Just because I have a strong motivation does not mean I don’t get “stuck” once in a while. Actually I get “stuck” almost every day. I am so overwhelmed with all the things I have to do. I read a lot of articles on how to get organized and how to plan my day and they’re good but I need more. Here are 10 of the things I do before and when I get “stuck” and don’t know what to do first.

1. Don’t wait until the day has already started to work on your motivation. As soon as you wake up lay there and think about some of the things you’re thankful for. I do this even when I’m sick, my head is spinning, and I feel like I’m dying. Especially when I feel that way because it’s easier to get pulled down into the doldrums when I’m sick. It’s easy to think of things to be thankful for. I always start with my eyes; I have my eyes to see my beautiful children. I’m thankful for my legs, I can walk. I’m thankful for my arms; I can hug my children. There’s really so much to be thankful for! I'm thankful to the movie The Secret for teaching me the utter common sense of being thankful. It's so simple! 2. When I go to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror I always smile at myself. Always. And yes, I do as Louise Hay says, I tell myself that I Love Me! I do these things first thing in the morning to form a kind of positive aura around me so I don’t get so “stuck” that I end up not doing the important things of my business. 3. I have a cup of coffee every morning and as I drink my coffee I watch something inspiring. There are so many videos on YouTube you can look up. One I like especially is one that Priscilla Parham put together titled “Affirmations.” She along with John Assaraf inspired me to put together my own Vision Board Slide Show Presentations. I watch these every morning with my coffee. During this time I also close my eyes and envision something I really want, like taking my children to Disneyland. I envision us riding through Pirate’s of the Caribbean or through the Haunted House. 4. I write down on a piece of paper the things I know I need to do for the day in no particular order. I know what’s most important and that’s my leads. Calling my leads and sending them requested information. I cross these tasks out as I accomplish them and anything I haven’t done I put for the next day. 5. I do something, anything, just move and be productive even if it’s not business oriented. If I have too many ideas and they’re swirling in my head to where I don’t know where to start, I take a break. I go and bake cookies or start a load of laundry or wash the dishes. As I do that I sort out what I should do first and then I go back to work. Otherwise, I’m trying to do all of it at once and get nothing done! 6. I hum! Yes, I wrote about this phenomenon on my blog. My children taught me to hum! Humming relaxes me, especially if my head is jammed with ideas and I’m having difficulty sorting them out, which one to do first? 7. I’ve learned to be flexible. I just can’t do it. Stick to a rigid schedule. It really grates at me when the house is dirty and I’m trying to work on an idea. See, like right now, I’m doing this writing and I’ve washed the dishes, 2 loads of clothes, and baked 1 batch of Peanut Butter Cookies. And I still got my lead work out, I worked on my slide show of t-shirt designs I created, I visited the forums and groups I like and added what I could. I got quite a lot done today. And it’s still not over yet. I intend to design more shirts when I’m done here and get a couple of crafts done too. 8. I purposefully look up things that’ll make me laugh. 15 minutes a day doing this will not put you behind your business. I Love to laugh and there are some funny witty quotes and sayings on a lot of different websites! Laughing releases the good chemical stuff in the brain. 9. I drink lots and lots of water! Helps me with my energy somehow. 10. Because I drink lots and lots of water, I go to the bathroom lots and lots of times, and so, I have books in the bathroom that I read, a sentence here, sentence there. I make sure I get off by about 7pm (in between I cook dinner or we go to MacDonald’s) so I can visit with my children. We Love to watch movies together, and yes, they always ask thousands of questions!

Stay Motivated Forever!

Yolanda's Vision Board Slide Show Presentation II

2007-06-05T16:09:00.000-10:00

Free by the Sea!

Another Vision Board Slide Show Presentation. Vision Board's have been around for a long time but I've never heard it titled that until I watched The Secret and John Assaraf showed the world his Vision Board which has inspired people all over the globe to create their own and to really hold true the value of having a Vision Board. This isn't my last one. Not only do they hold the vision in your mind they're fun to create! Have fun and create your own too. There's so many ways and a slide show is just one way.

Vision Boards help: WAHMs Stay Motivated Forever!

JHM: Isabelles visit

2007-06-05T13:12:00.000-10:00

JHM: Isabelles visit

A Bit of Inspiration

2007-05-26T07:50:00.000-10:00

Sometimes it seems like I spend so much time searching for anything that motivates but that's not true at all. Most of the things I find I'm just cruising the internet and happen upon it. Like this really inspirational video I just found on Small Business Brief Forums that was made by Anna Johnson. *If you sign up for her newsletter you get her The 7 Keys To Success email mini-course which I just signed up for. I'm looking forward to receiving it.* It's probably the Law of Attraction at work bringing me motivational and inspirational stuff that I can turn around and share. The video really hit home to me as a WAHM. Her intention was not to target WAHMs but when I watched it many of the things she points out are exactly what WAHMs experience, or at least this WAHM and many that I've read about. This video will definitely help you to...

STAY MOTIVATED FOREVER!

Summer - Perfect Time to Start a Home Based Business

2007-05-24T20:42:00.000-10:00

I read and have been reading so many articles and stories telling of how summer is the slow season for network marketing. I can see why this is. The most obvious is because many families plan vacations around this time. But, this would seem to me the perfect time to start a home based business.

This is a perfect time to set up and get to know your business and products. By the time the holidays come around you will not only have put your foot in the door but will have crossed the threshold and entered the house. Why wait until the season has already started to start your home based business. Start at least 3 months ahead of time. That way you have time to get to know your products, the company and its policies, and you’ll have learned what aspect of your business you’ll gravitate towards. Maybe it’ll be internet marketing, maybe you don’t like that and would just like to go door to door, and maybe you just like to do fundraisers. This is a good time to find what your niche is thereby lessening any potential loss of sales during the peak holiday season. During this period you can also be building your image as a reputable business. Why wait until the season is already busy to find out what your niche is and make mistakes when the season is already in full swing?

When you find your niche you’ll know precisely what promotional supplies you’ll need to order, you’ll know how much you need to order, and you’ll know how you’ll distribute them. You’ll also know what products you’d like to stock up on for the holiday season.

If your business allows you to craft then you can start making crafts for the holidays. In fact that’s what I’m doing this summer. I’m making candle wax tarts in as many different scents as I can. They make great gifts and are inexpensive to purchase. With the tarts will be a card with my business information on it and where customers can go to place any additional orders.

These are all good reasons to start during the summer. But whatever time a person starts their network marketing business the most important thing is to…

Stay Motivated Forever!

A Great Site that has really helped me learn about Blogging

2007-05-22T16:27:00.000-10:00

I’m going to say this over and over again, probably even after years of blogging, I’m new to this. I’m learning as I go along. It takes a lot of time to learn and I find things hard to grasp at times, actually at a lot of times. That’s why I’m so grateful when I find a site that really helps me and/or has things that really help me. This site that I’m telling you about right now has helped me, as much as they possibly can, to understand blogging, search engine, links, and the like?

This site is located at http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/forum/index.php?

If you look on my sidebar you’ll see a cute little puppy…you can click on that and get to their website. They cover everything from building a website, to keeping you updated on search engine optimization, to blogging, to Pay Per Click Advertising, to link development, and the list goes on. I find the site easy to navigate and find information that is interesting and relevant to my needs. I still can’t contribute but I really do hope to someday.

The administrators and moderators and people that take part in the forum are on the ball. When a question is asked they really give some very helpful answers.

I wanted to share this, not that they need any publicity, they’re doing just fine. It’s more to help any WAHM out there that wants to get a little bit of help with the internet and how to use it effectively to build there business online. I’m sure I’m not the only newbie.

There are some other sites that I’ve used and really like as well and I’ll be posting on those sites as well. As I post please look on my sidebar for their link or banner ad. They don’t pay me to have their ad there by the way. I put it there so WAHMs have an easy time looking for resources.

Hopefully by my posting these resources it’ll take a little load off a WAHMs back and you can use your efforts elsewhere.

Hopefully, it’ll also help you to…

Stay Motivated Forever!

WAHM Vision Board Slide Show Presentation 2007

2007-05-21T20:27:00.000-10:00

There's been a lot of talk about John Assaraf's Vision Board. John Assaraf was a very dynamic speaker on the hit motivational movie "The Secret". I set out to create a slide show presentation which contained my and my children's visions. Something I can wake up in the morning and look at while I drink my coffee. It still needs a lot of work and additions. I uploaded this slide show to Slide Share . I really am thankful I found them. I had a heck of a time trying to convert my powerpoint slide show to macromedia flash. It seems the problem is with my registry. There's another blog that really helped me and I can't find it right now but he shared information on OpenOffice which is a program where you can transfer your powerpoint presentation to and from there can export it to macromedia flash. If everything is working correctly it shouldn't be hard.

5/22/07 - Found this site that has a tutorial on OpenOffice and converting PowerPoint to use on the web:

Check out WWW FAQs: How do I put a PowerPoint presentation on my web site? on Boutell.Com's web site.

I really wanted to transfer my transitions and sounds as well but figured this example can give you an idea of how you can make your own presentation. You can even put it as your screen saver which is my next step. This is a great motivational tool that reminds me of "why" I'm building my business.

Stay Motivated Forever!

WAHMs a Humming!

2007-05-16T16:20:00.000-10:00

My 20 year old daughter has been humming since she was a little girl. I noticed that about her but never really thought about it. Then about last month my 9 year old daughter started humming too. I took notice again but didn’t give it a lot of thought. Then, following my daughters, my 12 year old son started humming too. With all 3 of my children humming I started to take notice. Hmmm, they’re all humming now. Ok.

Then, yesterday, while I was brushing my hair I thought I might try humming. I mean, I had been thinking about it for awhile for stress relief, but never got around to it. It was hard to start humming; I had to force myself at first. But, as I hummed I noticed that I started to relax a little bit more. Wow! That was a great feeling! No wonder my daughter never ired as easily as I did. I always concentrate on thoughts that stress me out. Any way to alleviate stressful thoughts is welcome by me. I decided to do a little research on this subject.

I went online and keyed in “humming + stress” and this is some of the information I found.

1. http://www.americanacupuncture.com/weight.htm

“Many people you know hum or whistle when they are under stress. The humming stimulates their right brain (the side that does not have to think).” Well, that’s good because the right brain stimulates creativity!

2. http://health.uk.msn.com/healthencyclopaedia/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2654592

“Did you know humming and whistling could be your body’s natural way of soothing a stressful situation? It might seem like an innocuous habit to subconsciously slip in to when you are stressed, but humming stimulates the right side of the brain (the part used for abstract and creative thoughts) and may help you to calm down. Humming is even one of the preferred stress-busters for babies who want to calm themselves.”

3. http://www.mindgrowth.com/store/biofeedb.htm

If you click the above link you can read about some studies done with humming and its relationship to stress.

4. http://mental-health.families.com/blog/sing-your-way-to-calm

This article by Beth McHugh titled “Sing Your Way To Calm” talks about humming and how it can calm you down while you’re driving. More on this site later!

Well, there you have it. Lots of people knew about the effects of humming on stress. Where was I? Busy being stressed that’s where!

Another practice of mine is to recite things that I’m thankful for:

I’m thankful that my children showed me the art of humming! Another stress-buster to help this WAHM…

Stay Motivated Forever!

WAHM Day!

2007-05-15T12:51:00.000-10:00

I had the most beautiful WAHM Day!

Because my son’s birthday was just the day before we had a very relaxing day at Polo Beach in Wailea Maui. The day was perfect and the beach was calm, I believe it was calm for me because Mother Ocean was giving me a gift too. Usually when we go the waves are so rough and although my children love that because they body board and all, I have a hard time relaxing in rough water! Our meal was really simple. In order for me not to have to cook we brought left over hot dogs from my son’s birthday party with some chips, soda and water.

The best part of my mother’s day was the gifts I received from my children.

My 9 yr. old made me a pair of earrings and a card. She designed the earring by herself and had no help putting it together! The rose in the middle is a candle wax tart with the Victorian Rose scent that me and my children made together for the craft fair. The card and earrings were a complete surprise for me!

My 12 yr. old made me a box out of a recycled Christmas card with a special note inside for me. This project of his allowed him to give me another WAHM day gift...his fine motor skills...have to be improving to be able to make this box! He's been working with an OT at school since the first grade and I'm so happy to see his progress!

My 20 yr. old, well she gives me mother’s day everyday! She helps out with finances in our household! A mother couldn’t ask for more! I hope everyone had a Great WAHM Day!

These huge thoughtful things that my children do for me motivates me everyday to do what I have to do towards my home based candle business. Don't get me wrong, they can be brats! But there's so much more beauty in them than anything else!

WAHM Birthday Ideas

2007-05-15T11:19:00.000-10:00

This was a very busy weekend for this WAHM family! Saturday the 12^th was my son’s 12^th birthday. I told him the night before “tomorrow is the 12^th and you’ll be 12.” And he told me “yes, and today is the 11^th and I’m 11 years old!”

As a single mother working to create a home based candle business empire it is imperative that I and my children continuously use our imagination to create ways for doing and celebrating events without having to spend so much money. For my son’s 12^th birthday we came up with the idea of having it at a local park with long hills so the children can have fun sliding down on boxes. I used eVite to create his invitations and it's so cool because they had a Pirate which my son is way into now (Pirate's of the Carribean).

We created a simple menu consisting of, barbecued steak, short ribs, and hot dogs, Chamorro (Guam) red rice, white rice, potato salad, kelaquin, and finadene. For those of you who would like to learn about Chamorro (Guam) recipes go to http://www.guam.net/pub/edu/upi/community.html . I baked the cake which was very simple, yellow cake mix, chocolate frosting and blue sprinkles, which by the way my family absolutely adores homemade cake even if it is from the box. We bought a 1 and 2 candle for the cake. I made him goodie bags and put a couple of candies, a helicopter thingie, and bubbles (I'm a bubble freak!). We bought a couple of Frisbees for $.88 at Wal-Mart for the children to throw around.

The party started out slow as our family trickled in slowly but surely. Once they were all there the children went crazy with the boxes which my 20 yr. old collected from her workplace at MarMac Ace Hardware in Kahului, Maui! “Children” ages 1 ½ years to 56 years were sliding down all areas of the hill! They had a BLAST!!! It was so FUN!!!

Next time we plan to bring a big tarp to put on the hill and run water on it so the “children” can pretend their on a water slide!

How does this tie in to motivating WAHMs? First off, you use your creativity and when you use your creativity it stimulates your brain in a positive way which helps to be motivated easier. Second of all, saving money helps create motivation because you know you’ve saved more money to build your business but at the same time you haven’t deprived the celebration of your children’s birthday. Once your business is off and going THEN you can spend like crazy!

Have A Great Day!...and… StayMotivatedForever!

WAHMother's Day! A little history lesson behind Mother's Day

2007-05-08T08:26:00.000-10:00

Mother's Day - Should You Send a Card to Your Baby's Momma? By Priscilla Parham I can not believe it's May already. So we all know what that means, time for Mother's Day to roll around again. Buying a gift and sending a card to your own mother goes without saying. But how about sending cards to the other mother's you know? And should you send a card to your baby's momma? What if you have drama going on there? Let's take a brief look at how Mother's Day came to be. I figured this holiday was just another one drummed up by the greeting card and national restaurant industries, but there is a history behind this Sunday celebration. Worldwide it can be dated back as early as ancient Greece. It was celebrated with festivals in honour of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods and Cybele the Earth Mother, in greek mythology. Across the globe it is observed at different times of the year. In U.S. history, Mother's Day dates back to the 1870's when Julia Ward Howe wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honour of those mothers whose sons died in war. Today, we see how deeply commercialized this holiday has become as with most U.S. holidays. In the end it's up to each family to traditionalize or memorialize it as they see fit. Showing appreciation to the mothers in your life is a great way to build and strengthen relationship bridges, especially if you have baby momma drama going on in your life. Showing some appreciation and kindness will go a long way towards calling a truce. As a single parent myself I know first hand the hardships of raising a family alone. Even with financial support it can be a daunting task, filled with quite a bit of joy and heartache. I often tell others it is not a requirement to remember or acknowledge my efforts because I love my son dearly but it sure does feel good! I love being thought of and remembered in a kind, loving manner. It makes me want to go out and do more kind, loving things for others. So, if you are debating on whether or not to send that card or gift to your sister, your cousin, your co-worker, or your baby's momma. Go ahead and do it, you get back what you send out. So send out some good vibes. If you're ready to show appreciation to someone special you can send a free greeting card in the mail (not e-cards) from your computer at http://www.LiveTheSecret.us. Priscilla Parham coaches on awareness and goal setting for your health, your business and your relationships. NOTICE: Copyright 2007 - Priscilla Parham. Article(s) may be republished free of charge to relevant websites, as long as Copyright and Author Resource Box are included; and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN intact and active. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Priscilla_Parham http://EzineArticles.com/?Mothers-Day---Should-You-Send-a-Card-to-Your-Babys-Momma?&id=552705

WAHM and Craft Fairs

2007-05-06T19:40:00.000-10:00

Between the years of 2001 and 2004 I had a home based business making scented sachets in popular Hawaiian fragrances. I would take my home made craft to the fairs to sell and that’s how I’d make a living. Then the gas prices started to rise and since my craft fairs were mostly in Lahaina which is the other side of the island I paid $10.00 for gas just to get to and from the fair. Then there was the rent to pay and the setting up and breaking down. I would do this 5 days a week which included Saturdays and Sundays. Sales would always fluctuate up and down. Some days were good and some were not so good. Well, I stopped doing that because I didn’t see a future with it unless I took my craft to the next level which would mean to have my craft made in bulk and cheaply in the Philippines or somewhere like that. Or, hire people to do piece work for me and I really didn’t want to do that. So, it’s been awhile since I did a craft fair.

Then the manager from Maui Mall called me and asked me if I’d like to do a craft fair with my new candle business in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. I agreed to do the craft fair and made up some lovely votive roses (Pictures are shown in an earlier post) and some wax tarts. It was fun and I was able to make a lot of contacts with people explaining to them the benefits of veg/soy candle wax on the environment.

While I was busy tending my booth there was a band playing Latin music and a couple dancing the Salsa. Unbeknownst to me my 11yr. old son was also dancing! I dropped everything to watch him! I was amazed that he was getting out there and dancing and he was really getting into it too! I’m posting pictures of him and I hope you can tell by his face how closely he’s paying attention to his instructor.

Sometimes I don’t know what motivates my children to do what they do. I only know that when they find something that does interest them or they’re motivated enough to take action on something I’m there to show encouragement and support.

Where do we as WAHMs receive our encouragement and support when we find a work at home business that interests us to take action. How do we find motivation to do everything we need to do to make our business successful?

Nowadays there’s so much out there that we can take advantage of. I’m listing one of the places right now that I think gives so much.

Healthy Wealthy n Wise Online Magazine:

This was started by 4 people who wanted to combine the health of ones mind, body, and spirit to achieve their goals. They give so much…I can’t say this enough; I’ve never experienced so much giving freely. They have the Passion Interviews every other week which I post on my side bar to let you know the new speaker coming up.

I’m really impressed with them and I’d like to share their website with you:

Healthy Wealthy n Wise

There you can read how they started. They’re awesome and I really appreciate what they’re doing for me and the messages of abundance they’re sending out to the world.

Stay Motivated Forever!

World Laughter Day!

2007-05-04T11:25:00.000-10:00

World Laughter Day!

Join Dr. Madan Kataria and Laughter Yoga groups around the globe as they celebrate World Laughter Day!

By now almost everyone should know the benefits of laughter to health. There are many testimonials. The most famous that comes to my mind is from Norman Cousins, renowned American journalist who suffered from cancer and cured himself by watching movies that made him laugh. You can read in detail about how he did this in his book “Anatomy of an Illness.”

There’s loads of scientific literature on the benefits of laughter on ones health.

See about a Laughter Yoga group in your area.

Participate in World Laughter Day and make it World Laughter Day every day!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

2007-05-03T09:55:00.000-10:00

When I was a child, 6yrs old, I had 2 friends, siblings and twins P.T. and N.T. As a child I spent most of my time with P.T. We used to play, make up games, and do a lot of dreaming. We used to laugh a whole lot, P.T. would always show me things to make me laugh! I remember when we used to lay at night with all of my siblings and dream about what kind of house we would have when we were all grown up. Mine’s was going to have an indoor pool, be 2-story and as you walk down the stairs there’d be a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. We would all just lay there and dream, dream, dream.

As I started to grow older though, 8yrs old, P.T. and I started to hang around less and less. I don’t know if it was because of my parent’s constant fighting that drove P.T. away but I remember N.T. used to hang around more during that part of my life and pretty much N.T. became my best friend even until adulthood. I would see P.T. every once in a while but just pop ups here and there. P.T. never really stuck around, seems P.T. had better things to do then listen to me talk about all my troubles and how things sucked because of my parents constant fighting. N.T. would really listen to me, how things would never be good for me, how I couldn’t do this or do that. N.T. really understood me.

And so it was me and N.T. through my high school years, my marriage, my divorce, my single motherhood, and with my business ventures. N.T. was always there for me. Always listening and understanding where I was coming from. You know N.T. really knew me because we spent so much time together, more time than anyone else I know.

That’s why it was a surprise to me when P.T. started showing up in my life again. Years after my divorce and struggling with single motherhood and finances. Why was P.T. coming back in my life? N.T. was still there and didn’t like that I was hanging around more and more with P.T. I guess N.T. was just a little on the jealous side. I was so happy to see P.T. again though, and started to remember those days when I was 6, 7 yrs old and P.T. had this way of making me laugh and looking at things in a brighter way. But man, as soon as one thing went wrong in my life, just the littlest thing and I’d go running back to N.T. who was always there to comfort me.

After a while of going back between N.T. and P.T. and realizing I was beginning to really spend more time with P.T. I started to panic. I started to panic that I would lose N.T. altogether. So, I’d go back to N.T., you know N.T. was right in my comfort zone. I was used to N.T. and always knew not to expect anymore in my life when N.T. was with me. That was cool with me because then I didn’t have to exert myself.

P.T. was persistent too. I don’t know if it was a project the universe was doing on people like me, people like me who wished to have a better life but didn’t believe they possibly could have a better life because of life’s circumstances. All I know is P.T. kept hanging around and coming back. Sometimes, even when N.T. was there. P.T. would shoo his twin away saying “let her go you idiot! Can’t you see you’re dragging her down?!” Oh it would hurt me so when those words would exchange between the twins. I would feel N.T.’s hurt but you know, P.T. was right. N.T. was trying to comfort me but the way it was done never really allowed me to go and reach for my full potential. P.T. had this way of letting me know that hey, I can do this, I really can. P.T. had me starting to believe in myself. Something I never, ever did. I always believed what I wanted to accomplish could be accomplished, just not by me. I thought I didn’t have what it takes.

Finally I had to make a decision, who to hang around with. It was hard to break from N.T. but I had to do it. I said “Thank You! For spending most my life with me but it’s time to move in another direction.” I let N.T. know that everything we shared would always be a part of me and there would be times when I would need advice again. But I need to have P.T. around who makes me laugh, and see myself in a wonderful new light. Yes, now I’m getting out of my comfort zone and going on to do things that I know I can do because P.T. has helped me to believe in myself!

Breaking up with N.T. was hard to do but we left each other with a perfect understanding of the importance of me and who I am and what I need to take care of myself and my children. N.T. still comes around when I get down but doesn’t stay too long. P.T. is right around the corner to get me back on track again.

If you have something or someone in your life that’s holding you back, some times even if it’s hard to do, you have to break it off.

P.T. = Positive Thoughts

N.T. = Negative Thoughts

But, you probably figured that out!

This blog is dedicated to all the people, WAHMs or not, who have managed to overcome a very negative childhood and have managed to break out of that negative cycle, have invited positive thinking principals and beliefs into their lives. I hope that I can help you, not by offering courses or anything like that, but by sharing how I latch onto the littlest things that keeps P.T. around. I also want to share resources from motivational sites and anything that might benefit anyone seeking P.T. We all have our financial situations and some will need to take advantage of all the free stuff and some will be able to buy some of the stuff. Either way, just do it. Take the free stuff and when you're able and find something that you really, really like then find a way to buy it. That's what I do.

Staying Focused!

2007-04-30T10:46:00.000-10:00

WAHMs Do You Ever Get Distracted?

This morning while driving my children to school I had a little talk with my 11yr. old son. You see, he was supposed to be getting dressed for school and although he was almost finished he hadn’t brushed his hair and yet he was sketching in his sketch pad. I Love when he sketches but that wasn’t the right time to sketch. That was the time he was supposed to be brushing his hair, and getting his socks and his school bag. So I talked to him about it on our way to school and I told him “I Love when you sketch but there’s a right time to sketch and this morning was the time to focus on getting ready for school so’s not to be late.” They were late.

As I was talking to him I started to reflect on the many times I was supposed to be focusing on my work at home business. Do you know how easy it is to get distracted? If I go to the bathroom I want to sweep and mop the floor, scrub the sink, and wipe the counters down. When I go to the kitchen to get a drink I want to wash the dishes, clean the stove, and sweep and mop the floor. I get distracted ALL THE TIME!!! It takes a tremendous amount of energy to get back to my office and continue to do the things I need to do to make my home based business successful!

What’s a WAHM to do? I’ve searched the internet (mainly for myself because I really need help and I need to know that there’s other WAHMs out there that are experiencing the same problem) and found some helpful websites that you may want to look at to help you stay focused. They really helped me!

Tips to Stay Focused! At the WAHM Connection by Stone Evans

WHAMing It and Loving It: Tips for the Work-at-Home Mom by Kim Mordecai

The most important thing that I’ve learned though is not to knock myself over the head too hard when I get off track. Just recognize that as I put a load of clothes together to wash I would not, could not, do that had I been at a regular job outside the home. Can you imagine working as a teller at a bank and telling your customer “I’m sorry, I have to run home right now and put a load of wash together. I’ll be right back you just wait here, ok?” Yea right!!!

StayMotivatedForever!

Laughter Yoga! WAHM s check this out!

2007-04-28T09:28:00.000-10:00

WAHM Craft

2007-04-26T18:19:00.000-10:00

One of my favorite hobbies is making crafts. I used to make scented sachets with popular Hawaiian fragrances and sell my products at craft shows on Maui. It was alright but the tourist industry was so up and down. I stopped doing that and then I started selling new and used children's clothing on ebay. That was fun and an experience too. The problem was that I couldn't see how I was going to make a financial future with both of those businesses. Enough to actually take care of my children in the way I want too. My home based candle business allows me to set my earnings. The more I study the business the more I can earn. One of the things I like about my home based candle business is that I can make a lot of different crafts set around the candles. And it's fun because I'm not dependent on its sale to make my money. The candles will always be my money and the crafts are just relaxing. After I finish making something I feel so good and so motivated to go on and do something else. It's like a healing method that I also hear and see a lot of people talk about. I just finished making some votive roses which I will be selling at an Arts and Crafts fair at the Maui Mall on May 5th. This will be just in time for Mother's Day. I have more crafts I'll be doing, some great ideas I got from my Team! If you have any craft ideas you'd like to share please do. I'd be happy to post them on my blog!

Have A Great Day!...and... StayMotivatedForever!

Passion Interview Series - Free Teleseminars

2007-04-23T18:54:00.000-10:00

Being an S - WAHM leaves me with little resources to purchase tools that keep me motivated, trained, and on track with my home based candle business. For this reason I try to find motivational books at garage sales or look for free books that can be downloaded. I read everything I can that's free. I also do a lot of surfing on the net trying to find things that are free or inexpensive. One of the sites I found through Dr. Christian Northrup's newsletter is Healthy Wealthy n Wise. Healthy Wealthy n Wise is a site that not only addresses and discusses subjects based on business needs but also on health needs and spiritual needs. To me these are major components to keeping focused on anything in life that is of value to me. Health is a major issue I was dealing with and kept me for days from doing anything with my business. It also kept me from being able to focus on what I needed to do every day to reach my goals. Once I started looking after my health, eating more vegetables, fruits, and drinking lots of water my headaches and nausea started to disappear. I woke up with a clear head, no muscle aches, and lots more energy to focus on what I needed to do to make my home based business a success. Healthy Wealthy n Wise offers free teleseminars called the Passion Interview Series where every other week they interview for 60 minutes an expert on self-growth, health and wealth in the hopes of helping us achieve success in whatever our goals are. These teleseminars are FREE! I couldn't believe it! For FREE!? That's unheard of! But it's for real. I was on their last call with John Milton Fogg. I couldn't believe I was on a FREE call with John Milton Fogg. Lines were opened for questioning and everything! I'm very excited about the Passion Interview Series and I want to pass this information on to as many people as I can! Use this resource to help build your home based business. I'll see you on the next call which promises to help you...

Stay Motivated Forever!!!

WAHMs Read - The Greatest Networker in the World

2007-04-20T09:36:00.000-10:00

John Milton Fogg author of The Greatest Networker in the World was a guest speaker on a teleseminar hosted by Ric Thompson & Alex Makarski of Ultimate Network Marketer . He spoke about building relationships in network marketing and likened it to a marriage proposal. John asked Ric if he would give a marriage proposal to someone on the first day they met. Of course the answer was "no" and that is true for network marketers as well. He laid out a courtship scene where there would be a couple of dates, getting to know each other, building a relationship based on trust, and that's exactly what we should be doing with network marketing. He also spoke of "get rich slow" to really drive the point that network marketing is not a get rich quick scheme. On the contrary it's like any other business that you start. You have to work to make it successful even if it is out of your home. Discipline, organization, an eye on your goal, reaffirming values, and staying motivated are essential to network marketing and building a home based business. He spoke of how he was once a not-people person but soon learned and became very genuine as to what he learned about people and building relationships with them, trusting relationships. As I was listening to him talk about building a relationship with your downline, providing them with training and support, I reflected on my home based candle business and it's training program and support team. When you are sponsored by someone on this team you aren't left hanging, oh, John said it so funny, "Hope you can swim!" Our team even provides you with a free 14 day eCourse training program that you can study even before you join with many proven ways that other distributors have used to become successful. Our goal is not only to help motivated WAHMs to be successful but also motivated WAHDs (Work at Home Dads), WAHPs (Work at Home Parents), WAHYs (Work at Home Youths) and even motivated WAHHs (Work at Home Humans). Add an S- at the beginning of each to indicate "single" status. WAHMs and all WAH?s take advantage of all the tools that your upline is offering you and also look up resources of your own like The Greatest Networker in the World . Have A Great Day!...and... Stay Motivated Forever!

Adding New Things all the Time

2007-04-16T13:27:00.000-10:00

I'll be changing and deleting and adding things often as I learn. Come back often as I plan to post motivational resources that are not only for purchase but for free as well! If you're reading this please leave a comment and let me know what you'd like to see on the subject of WAHM's staying motivated forever! Just because this is for WAHM's does not mean it can't benefit everyone. It can. Read and apply to your situation. Thanks for growing with me and don't forget to leave a comment as to what you'd like to see on this blog. Have A Great Day!...and... Stay Motivated Forever! Yolanda Crisostomo Maui, HI

WAHM Team Support to Stay Motivated Forever!

2007-04-16T11:57:00.000-10:00

The point to this blog is to stay motivated forever in my network marketing, work from home business. As I stay motivated and share how I’m doing it I hope to also motivate others. The place where I’m coming from is as a single mother doing a business from my home (S- WAHMs). That is not to say that only S- WAHMs can benefit from my blog but anyone can. Anyone can take advantage of what I post. That in itself is “team work” and “team support.” A group of humans working together, as a team, to stay motivated in whatever aspect of their life they need to stay motivated in at this point in time. For me it just so happens to be staying motivated with my work from home candle business. I absolutely adore my business and I absolutely Love my products. But one of the things I Love most about my candle business is the awesome support I receive from the people in my business. Not just my upline but I receive great support from crossline as well. As I was beholding the wonder of this train of thought I pictured our Hawaii State Bird, the Nene Goose, and how it is able to survive when it’s on the near extinct list.

The Nene Goose is able to survive because of team work. A team of human beings, that care about animals and plants that are becoming extinct, have put forth rules and regulations out to the public which protect these animals. One of these is the Nene Goose. Because of the team work involved in putting together these rules and regulations the Nene Goose is able to survive and possibly thrive, but would not be able to do this without it’s team of humans.

It’s the same way with network marketers. We can probably survive on our own but it’s so much more fun and easier to stay connected with a great team. This is what I have in my candle business. We share ideas from how to retail, how to do fundraising, how to build an internet presence, how to do crafts, we have weekly training calls, and all in all it’s just a very fun, supportive atmosphere that our leaders have developed to enable us to not become "endangered" like the Nene Goose.

I hope this helps others in any network marketing work from home business, job, and/or volunteer position to stay motivated through team work! Please comment on your experience with team work, I’d really like to hear about it as I’m sure it’ll inspire me too!

WAHM Creativity

2007-04-13T12:23:00.000-10:00

For the longest time, every year for about 4 years, I’ve bought the cute little Peeps Chick candies with the intention of baking a chocolate cake and decorating it with my Peeps Chick candies for Easter. Well, I never got around to it and my cute little Peeps Chicks would end up in the garbage!

Well, this year was different. I vowed I was going to bake my cake and decorate it with my Peeps Chick candies! And I did, and my children helped me decorate it too. We used the green Sweet Tart candy in that comes in a tube and made a little patch for the chicks to sit on. Then we got some egg shaped chocolate filled candy and put them all around the cake. Lastly we sprinkled it with…sprinkles.

It was a double layer cake and so it needed a little more frosting then I had anticipated so I had to go to K-Mart on Easter morning to buy more frosting. K-Mart didn’t have the Cream Cheese flavor so we bought Vanilla instead…same color…mildly different taste. The point is that the cake got done! It was fun, it was a family affair, all of my children took part in it with their comments:

“Ew, vanilla frosting?”

“Richard don’t put the egg to far down the frosting!”

“Richard quit licking the frosting! People are going to eat this!”

“Mom Richard keeps licking the frosting!”

“Mom I’m not licking the frosting! My hand just slipped when I put the egg in!”

We finished the cake and brought it to our family Easter get together and we received so many “ohs!” and “ahs!” We were so proud. Mind you the cake was not for eating, it was to look at. Luckily, there were plenty of other desserts. In fact, my niece made her first banana cream pie and it turned out delicious!!! Here's a picture of our creation, now it might not look like much but it's the act of creating that's important.

My pirate and Hippity Hop

That wasn’t the only creative event for the day. My children and I made up a votive hunt game. A votive is a small candle but not as small as tealights. We packaged different scents of votives in goodie bags and the adults hunted for them after the children had their Easter egg hunt. They had so much fun! The person who found the Peppermint Truffle votive received the same scent in a 16oz. jar candle.

Taking care of my health, being thankful for all the good things in my life, makes room for me to be more creative, organized, disciplined, and to spend more quality time with my children.

How was your Easter? I’m interested! Did you make something creative? Can you share it with us? Thanks! and...

Stay Motivated Forever!

WAHM’s – Ways to Keep Us Motivated!

2007-04-12T16:44:00.000-10:00

Being a WAHM is no different than a mom who works outside of the home. Moms that work outside of the home still need to have something that motivates them to get out of bed, get dressed, get the children ready for childcare or school, and on and on. That being said – this is written with all moms in mind and with well…all parents…oh heck! all humans in mind.

Everyday we are so focused on our daily lives. We get up in the morning and we know exactly what we have to do to get the money we need to care for our family. The problem is sometimes we just don’t feel so motivated! Even if we know we’re gonna get the money we need there’s something (probably time freedom) that keeps us hummin’ and hoin’ about going to work.

It’s no different for a WAHM. We don’t get up every morning raring to go! In fact sometimes it’s harder for us because we have to really acquire some organization skills and work on our discipline religiously! It’s hard!!!

This is not the end all answer but it sure does help me. Find motivation in anything you see, or hear, or touch, or smell. You don’t have to read a book, or watch a DVD, or listen to an audio to do this (although it’s highly recommended). Just look around you at the things that are personal to you. If you see your child smile and it’s so beautiful…hold that picture in your head. I love those pictures of my children floating around in my brain.

I just watched a movie the other day, “Crash”, with Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, and Matt Dillon. It was an excellent movie about society and the different races that live in America. The beginning was like yuk and I really didn’t want to watch it but I had to because I had to write a paper on it for my mid term exam. Well, I’m glad I watched it because there were so many scenes that I hold in my mind about different races and the underlying humanity contained within each person of each race. It really lifts my heart to think about how we all come together when the going gets rough, not the opposite, all against each other. You’ll have to watch the movie though cause I’m just going to say that it motivated me and made me feel good about people.

Every day I’m going to write, or maybe every time something happens that motivates me, I’m going to write about it. And please, comment, let me know what you think and tell me what things happened that motivated you today or any other day!

Stay Motivated Forever!

Staying Motivated helps with Discipline

2007-04-07T17:31:00.000-10:00

When I am motivated...which I try to be all the time...I seem to accomplish more. I seem to be able to focus on my goals and the daily activities I need to do to achieve my goals. Granted, it never ends up being perfect but if I can sit down and accomplish at least 7 out of 10 things on my list, I'm doing great (in my book). A home based business requires a tremendous amount of discipline. And if you're not motivated to reach your goals, unless you're a natural, which I'm not, discipline gets lost. If I get up in the morning and I don't at least make a schedule of things to do in my head I will set out to do my housework. Especially if I walk through the hallway and see my son's clothes on the floor (he way missed the hamper!). Or see the breakfast dishes in the sink, or, or, or! I have to really talk myself into not bending over to pick up the clothes. I tell myself "If you were at work in a location away from home, would you see the clothes in the hallway? No? Then you don't see them here at your home office either Darn it!" The opposite can hold true too. I can get to where I work and work, especially since I'm in the new phase of my home based business, leaving my house a mess and my children eating late dinners! I have to really pull myself away sometimes. Balance in my life is so key for this WAHM right now. The whole reason I work from home is so that I can be here for my children. I'm not doing myself, my children, or my business any justice if I continue to be imbalanced with my activities. And, Discipline is the key for this. Have A Great Day! Stay Motivated Forever! Yolanda Crisostomo Maui, HI

Health & Staying Motivated

2007-04-06T15:13:00.000-10:00

I don't know about other people but when I'm feeling ill I have a hard time staying motivated. I do it but it takes more energy and more focus to do it. I can imagine what it would be like for people who have terminal illnesses like breast cancer to be able to stay motivated all the time and really believe they can be healed. I've been getting sick a lot lately and I got really worried! After all, I have 3 children and I want to care for them with the best of my ability. I went to the doctor and was told that I have high blood pressure and needed to cleanse my insides as well. This set me on a journey to really look at what I was eating and thinking about and also what I was not doing. I was eating a lot! When I'm under stress I tend to eat a lot especially sweets. Plus, I just love to eat, I love food! When I'm under stress I tend to let negative thoughts get to me as well. Add to that, I never exercise! Happily I'm very motivated to change all of this. I want to be healthy! It also helps me to stay focused on what my values are: my children...and not get scattered all over doing a bunch of busy things that doesn't even fit my goals. This is what I'm doing: Drinking water, one glass every hour Cutting down on my salt intake: Today I fried some zucchini, bean sprouts, and scrambled eggs with a dash of pepper. Exercising at least 30 minutes every day. Eating lots of vegetables and fruits for the fibre. I know this is common knowledge for everyone...even me...but it helps to be reminded every once in awhile. With my health improving...my energy level going up...I can stay Motivated Forever!!! Yolanda Crisostomo www.manascents.com

Motivated by Children

2007-03-27T08:04:00.000-10:00

Motivation can come to me in many different ways. It sometimes comes to me in a flash, like a revelation. Such was the case just recently. I'm currently reading a book titled Secrets Of Six-Figure Women by Barbara Stanny. As with any good motivational book Barbara Stanny expresses the absolute need to set goals. As I was reading her book I flashed back on my 8 year old daughter. Every week on her school planner she would write down her goal: My goal is to be Surfer of the Month. Surfer of the month is an award given to students at Lihikai Elementary School (Kahului, Maui) who have completed certain requirements such as attendance, helping others, etc. Well, she never made it (there's more to the story) but she didn't let it get her down. She kept a positive understanding, understanding her teacher, herself, and her place in the whole cosmic scene. WOW! I want to do that! I want to know my place in the whole cosmic scene! By knowing who she is and what she is capable of and not letting anything stop her, she just switched her goals. Now she is collecting money so she and her brother can buy a Remote Control Hummie. They've collected plastic bottles and this coming Saturday they're having a garage sale. I told them that if they sell any of my candles they could keep the profits. She immediately made a basket of samples and went around the neighborhood to sell candles with her brother. This example of my daughter has helped me to really try to know who I am, what I want, and do I really want other people to control my attitude that affects my life and my decision making? No, of course not. I had to sit down and really visualize what it was that I wanted from my life and that's when it dawned on me that I have to let go of some of my activities that take up too much of my time with little or no pay. Sure, I felt like I was doing a great community service but it wasn't helping me to take care of my children and our dreams. Letting go of the extra activities enabled me to concentrate on what I really should be focusing on, my home-based business. Having a home-based business is very cool! It allows me to be here with my children. It's an ongoing process...one I am fully enjoying! If you are a candle lover and think you might like to make some extra money through a candle business I'd be happy to help you. One of the first things you might try though is to visualize what your values are and from there determine the goals you need to set in order to fulfill those values. Oh yes! Enter my free weekly candle drawing where you will have a chance to win a 16 oz. candle. Have A Great Day! Yolanda