A New Year, A New You!

A new year brings about all kinds of excitement, possibilities, and goals! And this year is no different for me! As the New Year was approaching, I found myself longing for it to come, just for that "fresh start!" And it is here, and in fact, one week has already passed. Most New Year's Resolutions are (SADLY) probably already broken as people "tried and failed" yet again. But, those that have chosen to make 2012 DIFFERENT, a year of a NEW YOU will stick to their commitments and be so glad they did! That will be me. I choose to make 2012 a year of "NO LOOKING BACK" and "NO EXCUSES." I choose to make 2012 my best year yet as a child of God, wife, mother, and business woman. I choose to make 2012 a year for a NEW ME!

This weekend we had a HUGE January Kickoff Meeting for our business. We packed the room and welcomed Sr. Vice President, Laura (Hughes) Evans as our guest speaker! And, she sure delivered! In the afternoon she shared some "life lessons" or challenges that I think could benefit EVERYONE, no matter where you are at in life, especially professionally. So, I thought I would share them.

Overcome Weaknesses:
1. Work with the willing.
2. Give to the greedy, not the needy.
(Don't take this statement wrong, but the point was, if you are working towards a goal, you want to work with those that not only want what is offered, but willing to go out and get it/work for it.)
3. What you permit, you promote.
4. Be better, not bitter. Build a bridge and get over it!! (Always good to hear!)
5. "It can't be done" is only spoken by those who are not creative enough to make it happen!

Harness Strengths:
1. People matter, things don't.
2. People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
3. Never Eat Alone. (use times of eating to spend with someone- you can't use the excuse of being "too busy" when you have time to eat!)
4. Fail to plan, plan to fail.
5. Intent + Action = Results

These hit home for me as a business woman, but also in personal areas. 2011 brought things across my path both in personal and work related areas that taught me a lot about myself, my work ethic, about relationships, and about leadership. Some things I need to get over and move on from. I need to set my mind to my goals (whatever that being) and go after it, not letting anything/anyone stand in my way! I am so excited to surround myself with positive people, people who motivate and challenge me to be a better person. In our business, I am excited to work with the WILLING, those that not only say they want to accomplish something or change something in their life, but those that back up that statement with action! This might sound harsh, and it isn't meant to, just that I have dealt far too long with "talkers" and I am refreshed and excited to work with the "Do-ers!"

So, if you have goals in 2012, go out and accomplish them. Don't let someone else tell you that you can't. Don't let someone else try to pull you down. Prove them wrong! Don't let your own fear and mindset get in the way of your success and happiness.
"If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it!"

So, what are my goals for 2012? Here are my top 6:

1. Get consistent in my devotional times. I always say I am going to do this, but let the busy schedule of a mom get in my way- EXCUSE! So, this is one area I will be improving, because let's face it, life starts with the lessons we can learn from our Heavenly Father!

2. Be an engaged mom. Ok, so this makes me sound terrible, but let me explain. There are times that it is easy to just sit back, watch tv, do the housework, check email/facebook, etc and watch my kids play....and before I know it, the day has gotten away from me and I haven't actually gotten ON THE FLOOR to play with them. So, I am committing to "KID TIME ONLY" where I spend just being a kid again with my little monkeys, and not worrying about the dishes/laundry/emails that are waiting! :)

3. Losing Weight!!! I am SO excited about this one! (Is that weird...to be excited about starting a weight loss journey??) HA! But, with Shaklee's Cinch Inch Loss Plan, it is so easy and manageable, especially as a busy mom. And to be honest, it will be so nice to have my breakfast/lunches planned out for me, and one that I can grab on the go, because who really has time for themselves at those meals?!?! I will admit, over the holiday season, I got a little out of control. I have the BIGGEST sweet-tooth and I am a proclaimed "Choc-aholic!" So, when things are around the house or we go to parties where they are present, my little willpower goes right out the window. So, I have felt miserable, my clothes feel snug, and I just am not happy when I look in the mirror to see extra "stuff" everywhere! So, I stated that January 9th would be my Day #1 on my "Cinching" journey. Why not start on January 1st? Well, to be honest, with Kyle home up until the 8th on Christmas break, and the sweets still present, I knew it would take getting back in our routine and the sweets OUT OF THE HOUSE before I would be successful. So, today started on Day #1, and I am PUMPED! I am working towards losing 20 pounds in the next 3 months!!! I took all my measurements and weight (YIKES) and will be tracking that as well. Here's to a great journey!

4. Exercising at least 4-5 times a week! Before kids, I would have considered myself a very active person. I ran cross country and track all through HS and most of college, and continued to enjoy running after. But, ever since kids, it has been a little different. I never gained more than 20-25 pounds with either of my pregnancies, and for the most part it came right off afterwards, but I have never gotten back into my "in-shape self." I am excited to start working this into my daily routine, doing 20-30 minutes of exercise at minimum, and do it with my kids! We started this morning and it was ADORABLE to watch Payton try to do it with me, until it "got too hard!" Haha! And, thank you to Kyle for teaching our son to tackle someone when they are laying on the floor- crunches were a little extra difficult with an 18 month old laying on top of me!
:)

5. Use more of my phone, and less emailing. This is a big one for me, both in relationships and professionally in our business. It is VERY easy to me by nature to just sit down a type out an email and press send. However, it is MUCH harder for me to pick up the phone and call someone. I know that part of this is because I can work in emails late at night and not bother people once my kiddos go to bed, and I will still use that time, but it has also become an excuse for me. So, I am publically putting it out there that I will do better at this for 2012. (Don't get me wrong, there will still be emails or FB messages, but when it comes to business and friendships, I need to get better at working in more personal phone calls as well!)

6. And lastly, Kyle and I have big goals for our Shaklee Business. This WILL be the best year we have ever had. This WILL be the year we reach a higher rank. This WILL be the year we make the Mayan Riviera Trip! This WILL be the year we take others on our team to the Mayan! This will be the year of "NO LOOKING BACK" and "NO EXCUSES" as we move forward in helping others reach their goals of getting healthy, losing weight, earning a FREE car, going on a FREE vacation, or building a business of their own! This will be a year that we will be proud of!!!

I know that by posting some of my goals, this means I have people "watching" to see if I follow through. Although that can be kind of scary, I welcome that! Feel free to ask me how I am doing on any one of these areas. Keep on me! Encourage me! Challenge me! No one can go through life and be successful without having people to love and support you, so I welcome that from you all! I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us! Only God knows!! :)