Convention Preparations - 7 Ways to Avoid Lost Luggage



 

Inspired by Mischelle Smith
This quick 4x4 card can be used for many occasions
by simply changing the sentiment.  Make multiples and
add the sentiment as needed.  Colors are Smoothie,
Sweetleaf, Slate and Crystal Blue.

The CTMH Convention is just around the corner and I am in full preparation mode including packing my bags with all of the supplies I'll need for the creative sessions with the NEWEST products!  The last thing I'd want to happen is to lose my luggage.  I found this great article to share with you.  The thing I will be sure to do this time is to take a photo of my suitcase(s).  Just in case.  Having been through it before, I know what a hassle it is and this simple tip would have made the process so much easier.  There are so many black Kirkland brand bags out there!  I attach some bright ribbons and a bright luggage strap to my bag as well.  Also I use neon cable ties to "lock" my bag.  They are easy for the TSA to cut off if they need to look in my bag and I can tell if it's been opened.  Just be sure you pack some kids scissors in an outside pocket so you can cut off the tie!

7 Ways to Avoid Lost Luggage 

Nothing undermines a well-planned vacation (or CTMH Convention) quite like no-show luggage. When your suitcase fails to appear on the baggage carousel, you're guaranteed a stressful experience filling out baggage-claim forms and futilely waiting. So how can travelers safeguard their stuff? The obvious solutions are to book a nonstop flight or pack everything in a carry-on, but clearly this won't work for everyone. If you need to check a bag, the following seven strategies will help ensure that your luggage stays on track.

(Photo: ReboundTag)

Upgrade Your Luggage Tag

Opt for a smarter luggage tag. Several high-tech brands of tags feature codes or microchips that travelers can use to detect lost bags. SuperSmartTags, for example, contain unique codes with which airline personnel can trace off-track luggage. (Many bags get lost when paper airport tags get ripped off.) ReboundTag, another sophisticated bag-tag brand, tracks missing luggage with an embedded microchip.

 

Check in Early

Travelers who check in late—whether they arrived at the airport with only minutes to spare or got held up in a meandering check-in line—are more likely to get separated from their bags. Baggage handlers need time to process luggage and load it onto planes. Many experts say that 30 minutes ahead of departure is the cut-off, but it all depends. In our opinion, the earlier you can check in, the better.

Place Your Itinerary Inside Your Bag

Luggage tags can easily be torn off in the rough-and-tumble handling process, but a copy of your itinerary, placed on top of your belongings inside your bag, will almost certainly stay put.  "Place a copy of your travel plans along with contact information in a prominent place inside any checked bags; if your bag gets delayed, this will make it easier for airline staff to forward your luggage to you. (Airline staff members sometimes open delayed bags when looking for contact information.)"

Ship Your Bags Instead of Checking Them

It sounds a little crazy. But it's not. This strategy kills two birds: By shipping your luggage, you diminish the chance that it'll get lost, and you also avoid costly overweight-, oversize-, and checked-bag fees. For example, American Airlines charges $100 for checked bags weighing more than 50 lb. on flights within the U.S. In comparison, UPS charges $66.24 to ship a 55-lb. bag from Los Angeles to Chicago. Sure, it takes longer to arrive. (In this example, the $66.24 fee is for four-day shipping.) But if you plan ahead and ship your belongings to your hotel in advance, you can save money and track your shipment, and you won't have to worry about your suitcase ending up in a warehouse somewhere in the Deep South.

(Photo: puroticorico via flickr/CC Attribution)

Take Some Photos

If your bag has gone AWOL and you're attempting to get it back, photo evidence will help. Take a picture of the outside of your bag to show the airline staff member who is helping you locate it. It's also wise to take a quick photo of your baggage-claim ticket, in case you lose it. Snap a picture of the inside of your bag as well; this will come in handy in case you need to file an insurance claim for your lost belongings.

(Photo: Luggage Strap via Shutterstock)

Use a Luggage Strap

Suitcases, unfortunately, sometimes suffer from a case of mistaken identity at the baggage carousel. This is especially likely to happen when half of your plane is traveling with the same slate-gray upright Samsonite. So give your bag a makeover with a colorful luggage strap, some neon duct tape, or whatever your creative little mind can conjure up.

Avoid Short Layovers

Tight layovers increase the likelihood that your bags will go missing. If your flight is late, the window of time for airport staff to transfer your bag from one plane to the next narrows. Pay attention to the length of your layover, especially when booking with an online travel agency (OTA) like Expedia or Orbitz. Often, these sites sell domestic multi-leg itineraries with layovers of less than an hour, which doesn't leave any wiggle room in an industry in which flights are frequently delayed.

If you have an international connecting flight, know that you may have to pick up your checked luggage at the baggage claim, clear customs and airport security, and then recheck your bag, all before boarding. This is also the case if you're arriving in the U.S. from an international destination and then taking a domestic connecting flight. For this reason, it's important to allow plenty of time—two or more hours, ideally—on international layovers. Confused? When checking in, ask airline staff if you'll need to recheck your bag at your connection.

Shout Outs:
In keeping with what corporate has planned, I'm going to hold out posting the Connected Hearts team convention year top 10 lists. I do want to say that there have been some AMAZING achievements this year - Congrats to everyone! I've scheduled the lists to post after the CTMH awards banquet on the evening of June 27th.

"The Ribbon™ for May-  In order to maintain the suspense and excitement of our annual awards ceremony at Convention, the May installment of The Ribbon™ will be posted on Monday, June 30. We look forward to congratulating our top performers in person and on stage at Convention, after which the details of May performance will be posted in Online Office".

 

Choice or Luck? Determining Your Direct Selling Success



One of my May card class cards - quick and easy!

I hope all the Mom's had a wonderful day on Sunday!  Here in Washington the sunny weather made our day extra special.  I finished getting the deck ready and we celebrated the opening day of "Deck Season" on Mother's Day with a special brunch in honor of my 82 year old Mother-in-law.  I've been enjoying my "stay-cation" and will be back to a regular work week on Monday. 
 



Business Bits:
There have been many questions regarding the new Idea Book program that was announced back in January (seems like a long time ago) and another update given last week in the Company Updates.  Here is a link to the information video that may help clear up some of the questions.  We can pre-order beginning June 14th so mark your calendars so you don't forget.

New Idea Book Information Video:

https://orders.closetomyheart.com/CTMHConsultants/toknow/instantinfo_media/1403-new-idea-book-prgm-kw/player.html


Here is a great article for all the new consultants or anyone who want to "step-up" their business.  Food for thought.... 

Choices:

Every day you make choices. Some big – some small – some are easy and some are hard. Some are scary and some are fun. You can say “yes” or “no” to every opportunity that is presented. The choice is yours.

The choices that you make on a daily basis affect the outcome of your successes in your direct selling business and your life. Your choices can also affect your attitude which sometimes affects other choices you make.

Have you ever thought about how many choices you make every single day?

Life is all about choices and in your CTMH business, because you are your own boss, you choose if, when and how many hours you invest.

You can choose to make recruiting, booking and customer care calls, update your blog, post on social media sites or you can choose to watch TV, go shopping or do nothing. You can choose to hold 1 gathering/workshop or 12 every month. You can choose to attend a Team or Corporate event or you can choose to miss it and wonder why your business isn’t where you want it to be. You can choose to set expectations, create strategies to achieve them, dream dreams, and make it happen. Or you can choose to sit back and watch others achieve their expectations, live their dreams and make the choices that create the life they want to live and say, “Wow they are lucky!”

I agree with Thomas Jefferson when he said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” I believe that you make your own luck by the choices that you make and the time you are willing to invest to achieve your expectations.

When you need to make a choice, ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
• What’s the best thing that can happen if I do this?
• Am I willing to invest the time to make this the best decision for me?
• Will this move me forward so that I will achieve my expectations?

These questions can help you decide if what you want to do will be worth the outcome or if you should find another way.

Some people choose not to choose. But that really is a choice too. It’s the same as saying, “No”.

Some people let others choose for them. The reality is they made the initial decision to let their choices be made for them.

Having the direct selling business success that you desire is like a sporting event. You can choose to sit in the bleachers and watch others play the game and say, “Wow they are lucky.” Or you can choose to actively participate, play the game full out and make your own luck. It is your choice.

Adapted from an Article by Martha Stanley -Direct Selling Success Trainer, Speaker, Author and a Home Party Plan Business Coach

Shout-Outs:
I am SOOO Excited!!! Now that the official announcements have been made and the "cat's out of the bag" I can finally post your amazing achievements:

Top Promotions to Ex. Manager and above:

******drum roll please****

Congratulations to:
NOREEN PETTY the newest PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTOR!!!! 
Joy Tracey - Executive Director -  recruited an incredible 141 new team members!
Cara Miller - Sr. Director - added 82 to her team!
Susan Williams - Sr. Director
Mandy Petty - Sr. Director
Dawn Hinckley - Director
Debi Thomas - Director
Angie Hofmann - Director
Cathryn Oliver-Brown - Executive Manager
Judy Larsen - Executive Manager
Mischelle Smith - Executive Manager


The Connected Hearts team by the numbers - here are just a few stats.
1st - 4th downline grew by 33% in April.
192 downline promotions.
596 new 1st-4th team members!

Congratulations again to EVERYONE who made the April Team Building month such a success!

Hi Everyone!  I'm taking a bit of a "stay-cation" for the next couple of weeks.  I had originally blocked out the first 18 days of May as time to take a trip. But with April's big recruiting promotion, I decided to do my vacationing here at home and use the time to get some spring cleaning done and prepare for what my family calls "Opening Day of Deck Season".  That means pressure washing everything to get the green slimy stuff off the seems to grow on every surface during the winter and early spring. And trips to the nursery for flowers to plant in my pots and hanging baskets.  It's raining today so I spent time creating, doing conference calls and going over the amazing growth our team has had last month.  Here is a card I created dedicated to each of you!  I miss all the ribbon we used to carry so I had to shop my stash to embellish this simple monochromatic 4x4 card done in Crystal Blue.

 Business Bit: 

Mind Aware - This is a great series of FREE interviews just for Direct Sellers!  Our very own Kristine Widtfeldt was the first one.  Here is the link to register for the series.  Kristine's interview will be available for just a few more hours.  The second interview has great information as well!  Check it out.  Replays are available for just 48 hours after the original air time.

http://themindaware.danawilde.com/tma-season-five-registration/

Kristine Widtfeldt,
Close To My Heart

Do you feel like you’re not making enough money in your direct sales business? Would you like to know why? Do you ever wonder how to get some momentum in your business? It’s Kristine Widtfeldt of Close to My Heart to the rescue!
Kristine Widtfeldt leads the marketing and product teams at Close To My Heart, where she has been vice president since 2004. Kristine is a popular keynote speaker and has written more than a dozen books, consulted for several industry-leading network marketing companies, and even appeared on the ABC national news show 20/20.
In this interview, Kristine gives a clear picture of WHY you need to get your team members off to a fast start in the first 90 days and backs it up with the numbers. She reveals the biggest mistake she sees leaders making, and HOW to gain some traction in your business. She even gives her formula for how you should be spending your time if you want to maximize your results.
If you are tired of working, but not seeing enough of a profit, then make sure to listen to this replay!

http://themindaware.danawilde.com/tma-season-five-replay/?inf_contact_key=8dfe93321bffcab217bca054a53a40cc53b59334f476f5159881aa858d9dc7cb

 Shout-Outs:
These team members not only had significant team growth, but also outstanding personal sales!  Kudos to each of you!

April Top Personal Sales 
Over $4000.00
     Ginni Candelaria
Over $3000.00
     Lynn Como
     Angie Hofmann
     Meg Cheeseman
     Joy Tracey
Over $2000.00
     Debi Squires
     Judy Larsen
     Jenifer Benner
     Dr. Phil Wilhelm
     Tina Lovell
 
Quote of the Week:

One More Day to Share! - A Great Article for Business Builders

This is a card I worked on today for my June
card classes.  It's hard to see in the photo, but
I used a Sharpie marker to color the Sparkles to
match the Crystal Blue paper.  I'm focusing
on quick cards in June.  The hat can be changed
to any image to fit your occasion.

Wowee!  What an amazing month our teams have had!  As of today, we have grown an incredible 36%!!!  My hat's off to all of you for your great work of sharing your passion for CTMH.  I'll post the stats next time.  There is still one more day, so keep on spreading the word. Call, email or text those last few people, sometimes the urgency of being the last day is what they need to act.

Shout-Out:

A quick update on Susan Hopkins who I've been posting about this month.  I'm proud and so pleased to announce that she has gone from Consultant to Manager in less than 1 month and is super excited to continue to build her team and attend Convention, but to also qualify to attend Leadership Day too!  Way to go, Susan!

 

 

Business Bit:
This is a great article to share with anyone who wants to make CTMH a business.  They are 5 great tips for working from home.  I do all of these things and I think they have been key to my success with CTMH.

Work at home businesses are a great way to earn money on your own terms.
You work your own hours, take vacations when you want, hire who you want to work with, and work in whatever attire you wish.

However, there are some inherent problems that may arise when working at home. The most common problem experienced is how stay focused on your work.   When working at home, it may be easy to get distracted. Instead of working, you may think about cleaning the house, walking the dog, going to the gym or doing some extra gardening. To get anything accomplished in a home business, it is essential that you stay focused on your work and not get distracted by all the home chores that need to be done.

5 Tips To Stay Focused While Working at Home

1. Do a few chores at home before you work.
When you do a few of the more pressing household chores before you begin your work day, you will not feel as pressured to do household chores while working.
Start your day 30 minutes later than normal, and use that extra 30 minutes to clean the dishes, walk the dog, vacuum the house or go for a run.

2. Use a to-do list every day.
One of the best ways to stay focused on your work is to have a specific list of items that need to be done each day. Without a to-do list, it is easy to get distracted or to not dedicate the proper time to important tasks.

3. Do the simple tasks first.
There are certainly people who prefer to do the most difficult tasks first, but those people are the exception rather than the rule.
Most people procrastinate at some time and put off difficult tasks. When you perform some of the easy tasks on the list, you can cross those items off and feel good about what you are accomplishing. With a few items crossed off, the list will look less intimidating and overwhelming.

4. If you have to deal with deadlines in your work at home business, it is important to stay ahead of those deadlines.
Putting everything off until you have a tight deadline is often a recipe for disaster. Waiting until the last minute also takes away any flexibility you would have in performing various work duties. Something that needs to be done immediately will take precedence over everything else.

5. Have a comfortable and dedicated work space.
Your environment has a significant amount of influence on your concentration.
When you are working at home, it is crucial to have a dedicated work environment.
A private room with a door is the best choice. However, an area that is separate from other living areas should work as long as the space is used only for your business.

A work at home business is a business; treating it like one is an important ingredient in success and prosperity.

 

Keep on Sharing!

One of my quick cards for my May card classes
I love to add color to my sparkles with a Sharpie
Marker. Ariana bulk with a bit of Balloon Ride bulk

I am sorry to have missed posting on Tuesday.  I have been trying to fix a problem that you have undoubtedly been aware of.  It seems my blog was somehow hijacked and random posts have been showing up in Arabic (or some language that looks like it)  I hope that I have fixed the problem.  I changed my password and that didn't help so I had my assistant delete a 3rd party app that auto posts my new posts to Facebook.  I apologize for the disruption. 















One week left......have you shared the incredible CTMH recruiting special this month?

Business Bit: A re-post from 2 weeks ago....

I hope that each of you are taking advantage of the AMAZING opportunity CTMH has offered to help us grow our teams. The key is to SHARE it with EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE! In a nutshell when they sign up April 1-30th they will recieve - $400 in CTMH products (including a Cricut bundle of their choice) for just $99!!! AND a 22% discount until at least September 30th. Post it on ALL your social media sites as a quick easy way to start.  You never know who will want to start their own CTMH business or who your contacts know that may be interested.

If you are interested in growing your teams contact me ASAP, I'd love to help you. This offer is just through the end of the month so get started NOW! If you don't share, someone else will :)

For those of you who have "Former Consultants" be sure to contact them and see if they want to take advantage of this limited time offer. You can easily access their contact information by going to your "Advanced Reports" - downline reports and clicking on "Former consultant contact information". They already know how wonderful CTMH products are and would be the easiest place to start your sharing :)

 

Shout-Outs:
In the last 21 days the team has grown by leaps and bounds!  We have 378 new members to welcome!  Congratulations to all of you who have shared the CTMH opportunity this month.  The following 36 people have recruited 3 or more new team members!

1st Downline:
Christina Eisenhour, Ginni Candelaria, Laurie Varner, Linda Caler, Michele Rowley, Susan Hopkins and Tina Lovell

2nd Downline:
Geri Polasek, Meredith Nguyen, Noreen Petty, Sarah Hirsch and Susan Williams

3rd Downline:
Adeline Brill, Briana Bostick, Cathryn Oliver Brown, Dalene Wells, Debi Thomas, Dr. Phil Wilhelm, Jean Ann Gardner, Joy Tracey, Krista Hershberger, Lynn Como, Mandy Petty, Rachel Rothmeyer, Sheila Wilson and Tonya VanWinkle.

4th Downline:
Amy Raftery, Angie Hofmann, Cara Miller, Dawn Flammger, Janet Royer, Judy Larsen, Melinda Beltran, Mischelle Smith, Sheryl Harpel and Tammy Sinks.

I took the day off today to go and tip-toe through the tulips at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.  This is a yearly tradition for my husband and I.  It's one of the beautiful gifts we have here in Western Washington in exchange for all of the rain.  I get inspired by the beauty of mother nature and all of the vibrant colors that never seem to clash. 

WOOOHOOO!!! - Congrats to our Team! - Exciting Events coming!

The special card from CTMH for my
 23rd anniversary.

I am thrilled and excited!!!!  I have been impatiently waiting for today's announcement!  Congrats to each of you for doing your part to help our team achieve the Thriving/Striving 30 Contest!  I am also thrilled that this achievement comes the week that I celebrate 23 years with CTMH.  I still can't believe all of the incredible rewards, relationships and opportunities I have had thanks to Jeanette and CTMH. 

I'd also like to say an extra special Thank you and Congrats for being part of the Striving/ Thriving 30!

My upline - Karen Morris, Presidential Director, The Dream Team, Las Vegas, Nevada

1st Downline - Christina Eisenhour, Senior Director, Memories in Motion, Springfield, Missouri

3rd Downline - Lynn Como, Senior Director, Coastal Stars, Newington, New Hampshire

3rd Downline - Krista Hershberger, Director, Create 4 Him, Elverson, Pennsylvania

.…And the Winners Are
After 5 months of terrific performance and standout achievements, it's time to announce the winners of our Thriving/Striving 30 contest, in honor of Jeanette's 30 years in the stamping and scrapbooking business. What better way to celebrate this milestone anniversary than with free Team celebrations for some of our top Teams that are striving and thriving in 2014? Winning Teams will receive a fabulous Team celebration including Team training, recognition, creative projects, giveaways, treats, and a great evening together, hosted by your Team's Director and a Close To My Heart Vice President. Celebrations are tentatively planned to be held in July, August, and September. Emails to winning Directors will be sent within the coming weeks to finalize each event’s celebration date, training topic, creative project, and more!

I am happy to say that the Connected Hearts are indeed both striving and thriving.  There has been unprecedented growth and excitement for CTMH so far this month and I can't wait to see the results on the 30th!  In anticipation and being the optimist I am, I talked to Brian Holman while in Costa Rica about the idea I had to hold my event in an area that we have a large concentration of team members in my 1-4th downline that was NOT served by Rediscover CTMH event. I know that my local team here in the PNW will be disappointed, but we were fortunate enough to have 2 events here in Seattle and Portland just 3 hours apart.  I'll let you know when we have a date and location.  Keep building your teams and we may be coming to your town!

To all Directors and aspiring future Directors:

I am super excited about a 2nd FREE Team Builders Event!!!!
I attended the first one and came away so inspired and enlightened.  I'd like to encourage you to clear your calendar Nov 13-15 and make it a priority to be there.  It is a unique opportunity to spend time with like-minded leaders as well as the Executive Team in a very intimate setting.  You won't regret it! If you're an aspiring Future Director and would like some help reaching your goal, contact your upline for assistance.  If he/she is unable to assist you, contact me :)

Announcing a Great Leadership Opportunity This fall we will be holding an event just for our Directors and above who are interesting in improving their business and leadership skills. Do you hold the title of Director or higher? Would you like to make more of your Close To My Heart business? Then we invite you to plan on attending the Team Builders event coming November 13–15, 2014. Hosted by the Executive Team and other members of the corporate staff, you will benefit from all the ingredients of a fabulous corporate-sponsored event: great ideas, wonderful company, awesome creative opportunities, and plenty of fun. There will be no fee to register for this event, which will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mark your calendars now and be prepared to get more details when the registration website is made available at a future date. We look forward to seeing you there!

TEAM NEWS - UPDATE
Because these dates for the Team Builders event conflict with the scheduled Oregon Team meeting date already announced, I am changing the date from Saturday, Nov 15th to Saturday November 22nd.  Please change it in your schedules.


Quote of the Week:
Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them is a waste of time. You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself. You are competing to be the best you can be. Aim to break your own personal records.

~ The Success Factory

2014 Convention Team Meeting - Shout Outs - Lovin' Studio J

Team News: 2014 Convention Team Meeting!!

Attention EVERYONE ---- Connected Hearts (my team), Legacy Makers (my sideline-Julie Reynolds team), and the Dream Team (my Upline - Karen Morris's team) are combining forces for an amazing Convention Team Meeting. The content will knock your socks off.... you won't want to miss it!  Our meeting will run from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, so leaders---...
please schedule your own meetings either BEFORE (5 pm - 7 pm) or AFTER (8:30 pm - 10:00 pm) so that everyone can attend!

Shout-Outs:
Great Work to all of you and Congratulations!

Congratulations to Lynn Como, Noreen Petty, Joy Tracey and Dr. Phil Wilhelm for earning the Aulani Hawaii Land Trip 2015 so early!

Top Team Builder with 2 New Team Members in March - Carol Fowler

Straight to the Top - Level 1
Mischelle Smith, Margie Wight and Kathy Rawlings

Straight to the Top - Level 2
Karyn Asfour-Kambur, Donna Paquette and Jennifer Saslafsky

Promotion to Supervisor:
Tina Lomas, Patti Magallanez, Donna Turban, Tania Klescich and
Steph Criblez

 

Creative Corner: Studio J

I LOVE Studio J! As you might have guessed by the fact that my artwork is almost exclusively cards - I started out with D.O.T.S. as a card maker. I am not much of a classic scrapbooker and in this age of digital photography Studio J is my preferred method. Whenever I get an order in the mail - it's like Christmas! Even though I created it on my computer and saw it on my screen, there is nothing like seeing it printed 12x12. I really wanted to take advantage of the $5 layouts last month and do my Costa Rica adventures, but time got away from me and I found myself as many of you did, doing it literally in the final hour! I also LOVE the Express Collections. Even with the website running really slow in the last hour of the last day of the month and quarter, I did these 4 layouts in just 30 minutes! If you haven't tried it, do it TODAY. You'll find out how quick, easy and beautiful Studio J layouts are, and they are so easy to share.

 

Spring Fever

Update:  Sharing Works!  A Success Story:

Tuesday afternoon, I posted about sharing the April Recruiting Special - Discover the Art of Business.  That evening at 11:30 pm I sent an email out to my 1st Downline with an incentive for promotions. 

Wednesday at 5:35 pm I received an email from Susan Hopkins a Consultant from South Dakota:

"I sent out e-mails and a Facebook post to many people on the April promotion to join CTMH. I just did that this morning, and it looks like I have 2 ready to sign up and a 3^rd strong possibility. Cool!" 

At 6:00 pm Susan sent me another email:

 

"I just got off the phone with prospect #1 and she is all signed up. I expect to sign up #2 either tomorrow or Friday. I don’t believe either one of these gals are “kit grabbers”…I think they will stay in as at least hobbyist consultants. I’ve been wanting to build a team and I’m so excited that the company is helping to make that happen. Thanks so much for your e-mail earlier today. I’ll keep you posted!"

Congratulations to Susan!  She is now a Supervisor!  You are VERY INSPIRING!   Keep on sharing and building your team!

This is the power of simply sharing this awesome opportunity and your passion for CTMH.  I'd LOVE to hear of your successes - leave a comment so we can celebrate with you :)
 

Business Bit: 
Today is "Siblings Day" so it was very fitting to spend the day hiking with my sister, Kathy.  As many of you know, I LOVE to hike and get out and enjoy nature.  Here in Washington we are famous for our rain and the beautiful green trees and mountains.  When the sun comes out, as the stamp set "Do Your Best" C1573 says "The mountains are calling and I must go."  Spring is a time that seems to derail my best laid plans.  There are so many distractions.  For me, some are business related, like planning for our convention team gathering, and others are of a personal nature, like hiking and gardening that are seasonal and weather dependent.  This article really "struck a cord" with me.  I hope you'll find a reminder that you can relate to.

Subject: Time…

It's spring and in most parts of the country that means - for those of us with children - baseball and soccer season are in full swing. It's time for ACT and SAT testing, college searches, end of the school year recognition ceremonies, plays, recitals, dances, senior celebrations, graduations, confirmations, etc, etc, etc; Even if you don't have children, there is the call of dirty windows, lawns that need a winter facelift, gardens that yearn for attention, closets screaming to be cleaned out, etc; etc; etc;

There is just something about spring that can be a major distraction from our businesses, wouldn't you agree? If only we had a 36 hour day instead of just 24 hours (some say sleep is overrated).

So, if spring has not completely side-tracked you and if (hopefully) you are reading this article, here are some reminders about how to get more out of each day this spring and anytime of the year.

Pockets of time are crucial. Take advantage of the early morning or late evening hours of the day to do a load of laundry, make lunches for the next day, do a quick house pickup, load hostess or recruit packets, or clear email. Often it is easier to be more productive with these things when the house is quiet…this email is being typed at 6am!

Enlist the help of your family. Kids can help too. There are lots of little jobs they can do - from 8 years old ours did their own laundry!

Let go of the perfectionism and resist starting too many “spring cleaning” jobs all at the same time. Make a to-do list and chip away at it in 15 minutes increments here and there.

Carry your “to read” file with you at all times so that you use those unexpected pockets of waiting time (Dr's offices, carwash, etc;)

Stamp catalogs and brochures while sitting at your children's ball games. It's a great use of time and you may spark some interest in your business.

Work out carpools for your children's activities - split the driving so you only have to do drop off -or- pickup.

DO NOT FORSAKE YOUR OFFICE HOURS! You may need to adjust office hours when factoring new activities - but remember adjust, don't omit!

Handle it once. Open mail over the garbage can, act on email as it comes in (vs. saving and thinking about it), and return phone calls promptly.

Keep a written to do list (vs. an `in your head' to do list) - it will cut down on your stress.

Keep phone calls efficient. Don't be afraid to say, “I'm dying to catch up, but for right now, I'm on the run and I just needed to go over a few quick things with you.”

Finally, with regards to volunteering, remember every time you say NO you are giving someone else the chance to step up and volunteer. You can't do everything!

 

Quote of the Week:

Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.
                                                                                                                            - Jim Rohn


Copyright 2014 by The Success Factory All Rights Reserved

My workshop version "Card in a Box"

Hey there!  Happy April Fools day :)   I'm back again.....sorry about missing last Thursday's posting.  I had a couple of family obligations that took priority so something had to give.  March was a super busy month being the end of the quarter as well as gearing up for an incredible April that will result in explosive team growth!  I hope that you are all spreading the word and sharing the awesome April recruiting special.  Now, not only can new consultants earn  back their kit cost, but in April they will also get their choice of one of the 3 Cricut Collections as a bonus.  Please contact me if you need any assistance training your new team members, I'm here to help in any way I can.

 

Creative Corner:  Here is my take on the "Card in a Box" that has been all the rage.  It's super easy and best part is that it folds FLAT to mail.  There are lots of tutorials out there on You Tube  just search on "card in a box"

 

The dimensions I used for this version that I'm teaching in my classes are

1 - 4 x 12 B&T (bulk Lollydoodle)

scored at 1 1/2 on the long side and 2 3/4 , 5 1/2, 8 1/4 and 11 inches on the short side.

Score and glue together to form a box.  Cut down the corners to the 1 1/2 inch score line and fold back.

Insert 2 - 1 x 4 inch strips scored at 5/8 and 3 3/8 inches inside the box  

Attach your decorative pieces to the strips and embellish.

 

 

Shout Outs: 

	These fantastic achievers reached $2,000 or more in personal sales for the month of Feb 2014
		Monthly Sales DL Level Consultant Name   $7,900.65 3 Lynn Como   $6,945.90 4 Angie Hofmann   $5,856.85 3 Joy Tracey   $5,683.15 2 Noreen Petty   $4,775.85 4 Adele Vaio-Beisser   $4,042.60 3 Dr. Phil Wilhelm   $3,321.70 4 Judy Larsen   $3,117.50 3 Krista Hershberger   $3,112.25 1 Linda Caler   $2,595.60 3 Jenifer Benner   $2,553.75 4 Meg Cheesman   $2,500.80 0 Naomi Smith   $2,465.85 2 Michele Pryor   $2,454.00 3 Debi Squires   $2,297.15 1 Tina Lovell   $2,149.05 2 Karen Varcoe   $2,019.20 1 Ginni Candelaria