The Southern Belle CEO

Some people are amazing at getting everything done.  You can call them overachievers, or Type A personalities….even a bad name now and then….lol.  The fact is some people can manage some things better than others.

Not me.  I lose focus quite often.  I try to get everything done all at the same time.  I can’t say “No” when asked and consequencly I overload my plate.  My family and I both pay the price when that happens.

A tip I learned, (and this does work when you apply it) is to list your top 3 priorities.  Since most of us have a top ten, top fifteen, top bazillion, only listing three will be very hard to do.  And you are going to have to spend some time with this cause it can get real tricky….but once you can narrow down the top three, you hit gold.

Say, for instace, your top three are:

• Family
• Health
• Business

Then when something comes up and it doesn’t benefit your top three, you graciously decline and keep your focus on what you have already decided is important to you.

Now, be sure you list your top three, no cheating — by thinking, well, I know my family is the most important so I don’t have to put that down, this will undermines the whole process.  STOP!  You have now increased your list to 4 and have already begun the overload syndrome once again.  And by not listing your family – that actually will be the priority that gets dumped.  Trust me, I tried it that way and that is exactly how it turned out.

Working from home is a challenge and anything that you can do to get an edge….do it.

If you have problems getting it all done, try making your top three list….print it out and put it where you see it everyday.  This is one of the ways that I can come close to getting done what I need done.

Your going to have to learn to say “No”.  Practice – seriously.

• Thanks for thinking of me, but NO, I won’t be able to do that at this time.
• I appreciate the thought, but NO, that won’t work for me right now.
• NO
• NO!
• NO!!!

Don’t give reasons or long winded excuses.  Just give a simple “No”, and move on towards your goal.

Sometimes you may have to tell yourself “No”.

• Want to get on Facebook…No, blogs not done.
• Want to finish that book…No, laundry needs attention.
• Want to….No, that’s not benefiting to me right now.

Am I saying all work and no fun…NO!  Just get done what needs to be done and you can have all the fun you want!  Doing things this way will allow fun.  When you are overloaded to the max, nothing is fun.  *Another one of those, “Trust me, been there” moments.

You, burned out = nothing.

Take these next couple of weeks and really think about what is important to you, pick your top three, and go from there!

Some people will think evil of you for sticking to your guns.  Some will be offended because you probably were the one that did all the work on a particular project to begin with.  But those people don’t have your family, health, or your business to take care of.  You do….so start, today!

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On a personal note…..no Christmas shopping done yet  :(    May have to move that up on my list, and yes, you can rearrange as needed….just don’t fall into the trap of having a revolving list where nothing gets done!!

the year ~ It seems everyone has the Top Ten list of the best or worse of 2009 or even the Top Ten of the decade.

For me, even thought the holidays are busy, this is a good time to reflect on my year and the past decade.

10 years ago we were bringing in a new millennium, Y2K was in the news and excitement was in the air. Yet, it seems like yesterday, those 10 years have flashed by…. For most of us, the past 10 years have seen major changes in our lives. Births, deaths, marriages, and divorces….Jobs gained, or recently, jobs lost.

Some things were unavoidable…some things weren’t. Just about the only thing that was the same for us all was that we could choose the attitude in which we handled the situation.  I don’t know about you, but some attitude choices that I made were good….and unfortunately, some weren’t so good.  (Yeah, being real honest here…)

At this point we can look back and get very discouraged about our life’s events and some of our attitudes with them. Or we can chose to be thankful for all the learning experiences that we have had, yes ~  learn from them, apply them, and walk on.  This point of view  isn’t an easy one for me…. I have a hard time being thankful for the loved ones that have past on, or for the added stress of lost wages.  But, when I take the time to get past the hurt, then I see that there are always lessons to be learned.

Don’t focus on the past ~ bring your attention to the present….what you can be doing today to change your future.  We sometimes get lost either in the past or the future, bring your attention to today!  And do take the time to make a plan, have a goal, get your focus narrowed to the prize.

Take time to enjoy your life, because it goes by fast ~

shay

Remember today to give thanks!

Be safe and God Bless!

I just said good-bye to my oldest daughter. She left this morning on her first road trip.

We took the time and planned it out. Mapped out the best route. Decided where she should look for gas stations, nice places to stretch her legs. She packed a lunch and a cooler of soft drinks.

Every couple of hours she would call me and keep me updated….all in all it went well for her. A wrong turn or two, but she knew the roads and town names to look for so she wasn’t kept off track for too long.

That’s what is needed for a business. A plan…something to keep on track with. And accountability. A workable, mapped out plan that keeps your focused! If you don’t have one…get one!

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On a personal note….I am sure thankful for cell phones!!

to my oldest daughter. She turned 21 today.

In looking back, if my husband and I would have waited for the perfect time to start our family, we probably never would have!

Waiting until we had enough money….ha! Never got to that point. Waiting until we had enough experience, well…..after three wonderful children, we are still learning about this parenting phase. Waiting until… well, you get the idea.

Sometimes we get caught in that trap in other areas also. Like business. I will just wait until I have the money to start correctly…..I will wait until I know what I am doing….. I will wait, and wait, and wait….

Start now, with what you have and the rest will come. Don’t start and it will never come!

So, start already!!

relationships. Whether it is with family, friends, or with work ~ it really all boils down to relationships.

This is geared more towards work today. Now and then the perfect work situation comes up ~ thinking of network marketing here folks… the “perfect” business opportunity to make all of your dreams come true. So you sign up and what happens next….nothing.

Now you have all of your family and friends saying, “Told you so” That is after they start talking to you again. You know how it is, everyone runs from you once they hear that you have joined another MLM company!!!

But it wasn’t supposed to be this way. Great company, great products…they were going to sell themselves!!! Or so you were told.

Let’s face it. People really don’t join a company because of the products or services. What we join with is the people. And building a MLM downline isn’t about the money, if it is, you won’t get very far….it’s about relationships. Helping other people achieve success. And most likely, if you haven’t done well with network marketing in the past, it wasn’t due to the company or the products, but your relationship with you sponsors.

Your sponsors can’t do everything for you, but they can help you find the best way for you to get your down line going. Do you do best with warm leads? cold leads? referrals?

Or how about none of the above. What if you are best using the internet as your way of generating leads?

If you have run into a dead end ~ and are interested in building relationship, helping people, and making the most of what you have….then take some time and check out

This made so much sense to me and helped me tremendously…..

Good Luck!!

doing what you haven’t done for change.

It takes doing what others won’t for change.

It takes not doing somethings that you have always done for change.

It takes commitment, courage, and a burning desire for change to have change.

Begin today!

Organization is not my strong suit….unfortunately. And I do realize that I am not supposed to store all of my log in information where it is easily found. But….I put my log in information where I couldn’t even find it! So, what good does security do for me when it keeps me locked out????

I should be laughing here, or finding some humor ~ but I am tired, can not find log in names and passwords… things need to be done and I am stressing.

Breathe in….Breathe out. This to shall pass and I will find a way to get the job done.

If you ever think that you are the only one that has “one of those” days…don’t fear ~ you are not. When you find yourself right smack in the middle of one, just ~

Breathe in….Breathe out.

Figure out what you may have done better and then do it! Learn and move on. My task is to find better ways to store my log in and password information that I can assess when needed!

WOW! Productive day…I have figured out what doesn’t work and now am making changes. Life is good!

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On a personal note…..need to check on log in storage software!!!!!

It’s an old saying…”Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket!”

Translated for today… have more than one income stream. In today’s economy, with incomes drying up everyday, that’s just good ole’ common sense! (Right next to a penny saved is a penny earned!)

It may take some thought, but if you don’t have multiple streams of income, put some of your brain power to work and get something else going!

What??~ well, affiliate marketing for one thing….do some digging and see what is worth promoting  in your niche.  Write an ebook!  You are bound to be knowledgeable in some area! And if you are very knowledgeable, hire yourself out as a coach!

Just those simple  ideas have brought in some good solid income for hard working people.  And that’s just barely scratching the surface!  I also sell crafts that I make as a hobby.  Not big bucks, but it finances my hobby while giving me shopping money!  Get creative — but don’t give up!

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on a personal note…..that “hobby” will be my Holiday cash!!  Woo Hoo….countdown is on till Christmas!

Yes you can!

Having a plan is a good thing…but as the saying goes, “To much of a good thing can be bad for you!”.

Example?  Glad you asked!  I tend to get caught up in the planning of, well, anything.  So much so that at time I don’t even implement the plan!

Sad, yes—but true.  Do plan, map out your business or schedule out your vacation, but remember…planning is only a small fraction of it.  You need to get off your duff and apply some action.

If you aren’t seeing results that you would like….check and see if you are still “planning”.  Sometimes just starting can create the motivation and momentum to get the ball rolling towards success!!

~~~On a personal note~~hubby agreed that a cruise might be a good idea! Woo Hoo….now to plan it!!  lol

Have a super week everyone!