How To Stay Sane While Working Your Home Business

 My Mom sent me an email this morning on "How To Stay Young" but, while reading it, I am inclined to believe that this could just have easily been titled “How To Stay Sane While Working Your Home Business”

This completely changed the direction of my day in a good way, so I am choosing to pass along in hopes of helping at least one person with this morsel of wisdom from my Mom. I have added a few of my thoughts on how this can relate to your business just as easily as your every day life.

Thank you MOM!

1. Try everything twice.
On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:
"Tried everything twice and loved it both times!"

For me, this means do not give up on your dreams. Things don’t always happen the first time around, and you may need to do it more than once to get it right. Often times, I work with people who want instant gratification and will quit right when they are on the verge of making the grand slam. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Without failure, there would be no satisfaction in success.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down.
(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

I work with people I like! When I speak with people on the phone for the first time and they are like Winnie the Pooh’s friend Eore, I give them the benefit of the doubt and one second chance. If they continue to be negative, whiney, unwilling to make much needed changes in their own personal development I give them an assignment,(reading something to do with improving their mindset)  and set them free. If and when they decide to make the changes, they will need to show me that before I give them anymore of my time. People who are always negative, not only bring you as the mentor down in energy, but they tend to suck it from the rest of the team too. This can be extremely disruptive and non productive, so get them out before they spread like a bad virus.

This also applies to the people  who are potential mentors. When I experience a self serving arrogance in someone  whose only vision is to be above everyone else and don't care who they step on to get there, I remove myself from their presence.  I have worked with bosses and mentors in the past who felt that putting other people down in front of their peers would motivate them to do more. Their warped philosophy was to create a "competitive edge" by holding boardroom calls and then slaying someone who may not have made their projected numbers that week in front of the rest of the team. The result was that they ultimately lost their team or employees and had to start from scratch again. 

Stepping on other peoples heads to get to the top may put one on "top" for a moment, but eventually, they will ALWAYS be thrown back into the Mosh pit because they didn't learn that one simple rule. "People don't always remember what you say, but they do remember how you made them feel" 

Jim Rohn

3. Keep learning: 
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. 
Never let the brain get idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' 
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's! 

What are you feeding your head? In my observation, the people who move ahead in life are those who are constantly seeking more knowledge. That thirst for a new idea, new concept, new venture. Reading or listening to those who have gone before you in your vocation of choice. I am currently reading 2-3 books simultaneously during my week. One on spiritual evolution, one on business tools, ideas, concepts, etc. and the other on new and unique horse training techniques that I am learning to use on my new colt and the fillies for their schooling. I am also constantly diving into at least one new internet related idea a week, just to keep myself up on what's new and hot. Knowledge is power.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

This is one of the most important ones to me. As we work with our team in their business development, we celebrate in the little things that they accomplish along the way as well as the big things. It could be simply going outside of their comfort zone for the first time and speaking to someone that they just met about their products or opportunity. It could be their first sale or recruiting their first team member. Perhaps the first time they do a presentation on their own.  Keep it simple, fun and magical! Don't over think or over complicate the process.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.
Laugh until you gasp for breath. 
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, 
spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

No matter what you are doing, it is so important to enjoy it! Laughter is contagious and people are attracted to those who are having fun. If you are constantly stone faced and serious, who would want to be around you. This brings me back to working with people you like. We bring people into our business who think like we do. Our vision is that they will be with us for the long haul and we will be looking back at the days when we were in the trenches together with fondness and laughter. The kind of laughter that makes your eyes water, stomach hurt and you almost pee your pants! There is not much that is more invigorating then that.

6. The tears happen: 
Endure, grieve, and move on. 
The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. 
LIVE while you are alive. 

You will experience disappointments in your business, that is just the inevitable. How you respond to those disappointments will determine how far you go in your business and in life. When something disappoints you, acknowledge it, accept it and then shake it off and move on. You should take five minutes to "pout" and then SNAP OUT OF IT!!! There is joy waiting around the corner. NEVER QUIT!

7. Surround yourself with what you love:
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. 
Your home is your refuge. 

This was such a key for me, in the past I would work in jobs or businesses that paid well and sort of held my interest but did not support who I was or my purpose for being on this earth. Often times it involved traveling for a minimum of one hour each way to get to my destination, and then driving from place to place for meetings. Because we work out of our home,  we now surround ourselves by the things that we love and are continually enhancing our lifestyle and enjoying daily life.  I have my critters at my feet while I work and my husband can jump into the water whenever he feels like he needs some “surf time”, The ocean is our backyard and we are together which is a beautiful thing. Challenging at times but still, a beautiful thing!

8. Cherish your health:
If it is good, preserve it. 
If it is unstable, improve it. 
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

This needs little to no elaboration! Take care of yourself, eat right, exercise regularly, drink lots of water and get enough sleep.

9. Don't take guilt trips. 
Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, 
to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

I used to take those trips all the time and then one day someone said to me, there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. Stay in your integrity and the rest is easy. It is not our responsibility for how someone else handles a situation. You could not have done, said or been anything else to have made them act differently. Get over it, it is not your responsibility if people succeed or fail, it is THEIRS and only THEIRS. No guilt trips allowed.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. 

This is so important to remember. Even when I am angry with my husband, my kids, family or friends, I have always made a point of letting them know that I love them. I may be unhappy with them at the moment but I always love them. No matter what someone you love does to upset you, let them know you love them before you depart from them, because you just never know if that will be the last conversation you have with them.

When you have team members who are not doing what you feel they “should” be doing, love them where they are at! People do life on their own terms and the sooner you accept that, the better. You can let them know that you are there for them if and when they are ready to get serious but in the mean time, you support them where they are at. Other peoples choices in their business decisions are not about YOU! They have to come to terms on their own and if you invest all your energy into helping them see what is “right for them”, you will miss many opportunities for YOU and your family.

11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

You can spend your life blaming others for the reasons why not or just pick yourself up by your own bootstraps, dust yourself off and move on.

It is important for you to forgive anyone you may feel has “done you wrong”, let you down, hurt your feelings, led you down the wrong path, etc. Get over it! It takes way too much energy to hold onto those grievances and it only hurts you. Half the time, the other person, people, company could care less or for that matter, even know that they have done something to upset you.

Honestly, for every thing that has happened to me over the years, the ones that hurt the most have been the biggest and most valuable lessons. It caused me to stretch beyond where I thought I could and become more self sufficient and creative every day! I am grateful for those people, situations, lessons, because without them, I may still be just tripping along following someone else’s plan.

Remember! Lost time can never be found.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.