Reaching Your Goals

Setting goals is the first step in achieving change and moving toward a better place.  I personally set goals for all areas of my life; school, family, health, and faith.  It is important that our goals are not fleeting but instead desires with a plan.

Here are 8 tips on making YOUR goals a reality:

1. Desired Outcome.  Its hard to have a goal without a vision.  Your goals should be specific, down to the last detail.  One of my goals is to succeed in Young Living.  I cannot just say that I want it without knowing what that means, for me I want to reach Platinum in two years.  I also have a very defined "why" for this goal.  Knowing why I want to reach this goal is important in understanding what the desired outcome will be.
2. SMART Goals: I learned this in school and thought it was a useful way of looking at a goal:  S-Specific, M- Measurable, A- Attainable, R- Relevant, T-Time-Bound.                                                                  
3. Write it Down: No matter how small our goals are we need to write them down. I love the idea of putting your goals in a place you will see them daily. A Post-it note on the bathroom mirror for example. This will help you set the intention for the day, everyday. 
4. Publicly Declare Your Goals: Tell people what your goals are.  When you tell someone you have a goal you are less likely to backtrack on that goal.  You can let people know that your are choosing to eat healthy, which in turn will provide a group to keep you accountable. I have several people in my life who know what my goals are.
5. Partner in Crime.  Finding someone with your common goal can also be a great way to stay on track! I have Christina who also has a goal of success with Young Living, and we hold each other accountable.  Partners are great to encourage you over the bumps and to praise you in moments of success. 
6. Baby Steps.  Most goals can be broken down into a serious of small goals.  My goal this month was to care call everyone in my downline. This can seem like an overwhelming goal, but I broke it down by week and then by day.  
7. Road Map.  If you can map out each step that you need to take to reach your goals then you will be more likely to get there.  When you don't know how to get somewhere you MapQuest it, you don't wonder around aimlessly hoping to stumble upon it. Goals are a location and to get there a map is needed.  Get out a piece of paper and write down you goal and every single small step you need to take to get there.  
8. Get Mentor.  The thing about goals, many people have been in your shoes and succeeded in reaching that same goal. You can help build your road map by following the path of others. The great part about my goal of success with Young Living is that many others have achieved the goal I want to achieve.  I have read books to help me zero in on my goal, and I have also received great guidance from my Young Living leadership.  Finding someone who reached the same goal you want to reach and emulating how they succeeded is another way of reaching your goals. 

Here are some tools to set, monitor, and reach your goals:

Daily Planner/Calendar- Whether you have a planner on your phone or a calendar on your wall this is a very important way of setting and tracking goals.  How do you set a goal without being able to schedule in and track those steps? I have both a large white board calendar and a planner.  I use a Passion Planner and love it, but get what works for you. 

Free Online Help- There are several apps that you can use to set goals and also to track your progress. Here is a great list of these apps or for more on line help check out this List. I do like the idea of finding what works best for you, not all of us are pen to paper people.

Journal/Blog- It is a great help to track your thoughts and ideas as you are reaching your goals. There maybe a day of what seems like failure and writing down your feeling can be a great help.  Sometimes you just need to get it off your chest and move on.  Keeping a journal can also be a great way of brainstorming and working past obstacles.

Vision or Dream Board- I love this idea and thanks to Pinterest it does not require cutting a pasting anymore. Create a board on Pinterest with what inspires you to reach your goals.  If you want to cut and paste an actual vision board go for it and keep it in a place that you can see it often.

Reward Yourself- Have a set of rewards for reaching milestones. This will not only inspire you along the way but is a great intensive to keep going! I love to gift myself a pair of new shoes or a mani/pedi when I completed one of my smaller steps toward my big goal.

No matter the goal, don't give up! 

5 Ways to Promote Your Young Living Business

5 Ways to Promote Your Young Living Business

I am not someone who is very open, telling anyone who will listen that I am a Young Living distributor was not my style, and sadly one of my downfalls.  Have you ever seen the quote "Magic happens outside of your comfort zone"? well I think that is very true.  I have spent the majority of my first year as a business builder for Young Living in my comfort zone.  I am not discrediting my efforts, I introduced many people to Young Living who are happily supporting their wellness goals. I am however stating that when you do push outside your comfort zone things will change and grow, remember "doing the same thing over and over will yield the same results".  I am going to outline ways to promote your business in (and out) of your comfort zone.

Promote Through Use:

Simple and effective. This is a no brainier and the first thing I was introduced to as a budding Young Living business builder "share the product, be a product of the product".  One of the biggest draws to this model was that we are not selling but sharing.  I don't want to harass my friends to buy a product, but sharing what works for me is like any other product I love and talk about. Using the product, in front of people, is also a great way to get everyone asking questions.  You may get people asking what you are rolling on your neck or dropping in your water.  Share your products, Young Living is generous and provides samples in the premium starter kit, use these to share with friends.

Promote Through Follow Up:

By far one of the most important parts of building your business, and possibly the most intimidating. Follow-up is the part that felt like a sales pitch for me, but in all reality this is what people are waiting for. I have had more success when I make a point to "loop back" as Christina H. puts it.  I was not a fan of the whole "care call" idea, all I kept thinking was "call it what it is..a cold call!" but after little to no success with Facebook messages, emails, or texts I decided to take the plunge.  Guess what happened..an awesome month and people wanted to hear from me...I was a little surprised but it was a good experience. This is one great way to promote your business and feel out how others in your group are using the products.

Promote Through Social Media:

The easy way to let people know what your business is all about, social media.  We are on these websites everyday (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter ect.) and it can be as simple as snapping a picture and sharing.  I gravitate toward a pretty picture, and love when a helpful hint is also thrown in!  I would be careful to not over promote...you don't want people to be sick of your business without even giving it a shot.  Share genuinely and with variety.  I like to use social media to also network with others in the field and connect with my group!

Promote In The Community:

There are several ways to do this and many have found great success in sharing this way.  Vendor events, fairs, and free public class offerings are a few ways to share in a community.  Vendor events and fairs will often cost but can be a great was to promote your business, keep in mind that many people go to the events for cash and carry items...so team up with someone else who does sell a related product (diffuser necklaces, bath products ect.) so your booth will have a draw. You can also teaching classes for the local park and recreation centers, at the library, and even local events.  This can be a great way of promoting to additional people in the community.  I have also seen people set up at local farmers markets and craft fairs.  The community is full of people, get out there and share!

Promote In Your Circle:

I work a full-time job, go to school, a Girl Scout leader, and attend church, and have a child in elementary school...I run in several circles, as do most people. Promoting in your circle can be a fun and easy way to promote your business.  The part that holds a lot of us back from openly sharing is rejection...and worse from those who know us.  I can tell you that 9 times out of 10 your circle will be supportive and more then that will want to join you on your journey.  Simply ask them to come and learn at your next class or ask them to allow you to practice on them.  Getting over our own fears is the important part to making strides toward our goals.  Almost everyone I work with uses and loves Young Living, I didn't sell them, I shared and used the product.

In order to promote any business know what your goals are (short and long), have a defined "why", and write down your steps to making success happen.  We all can be successful in this amazing gift of a business model, but we need to take responsibility for how to get ourselves there.