Christine Casey ~ Change Begins with Choice

I thought I’d have a little fun this week with my post, and share some of the sayings I’ve collected from fortune cookies…what I like to refer to as “Fortune Cookie Wisdom”.

Do you know where the Fortune Cookie originated from? Much to most American’s surprise, it is not a Chinese invention ~ fortune cookies were actually invented in California. One legend is that in the 1900’s, a plan was created to transform San Francisco’s Chinatown from a ghetto into a cute tourist attraction, to promise visitors a real Oriental experience. Supposedly, increased tourism led to the invention of the fortune cookie to fill the void of a dessert item. In the 1930’s, in order to fill the visitors demands for a dessert, a worker in San Francisco’s Kay Heong Noodle Factory invented a plain flat cookie, and while still warm, was folded around a little piece of paper on which a hand-written prediction or piece of Chinese wisdom would be found.

One of my favorite restaurant’s is Pei-Wei’s, and with as frequently as I visit there (wish they offered something similar to “frequent flyer miles”…ha~ha), I have tons of “Fortune Cookie Wisdom” to choose from (lol!) ~ here are some of my favorites that I’ve kept:

• Good luck is the result of good planning.
• The simplest answer is to act.
• Advancement will come with hard work.
• Your love of life can carry you through any circumstance.
• Always surround yourself with true friends.
• There will be many surprises: unexpected gains are likely.
• Adventure can be a real happiness.
• A great man never ignores the simplicity of a child.
• Be assertive when decisive action is needed.
• You are a lover of words, someday you should write a book.
• The courage to be great lies deep within each of us.
• The love of your life will appear in front of you unexpectedly!
• The problems of today will soon be buried by the sand of time.
• Honesty and friendship bring you fortune.
• Learning is a treasure which accompanies us everywhere.
• Take the advice of a faithful friend.
• Luck will visit you on the next new moon.
• You will soon emerge victorious from the maze you’ve been traveling in.
• Do not let great ambitions overshadow small success.
• Happier days are definitely ahead of you.
• A quiet evening with friends is the best tonic for a long day.
• The respect and help of influential people will soon be yours.
• Many successes will accompany you this year.
• You are never selfish with your advice or your help.
• Set the right example. It will inspire others.
• Endurance and persistence will be rewarded.

Yes, I know…a couple of them are rather “silly”, yet quite a few do make you s top and think ~ so much so, that I’ve shared some of them on my Facebook page ~ do any of them seem familiar? 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my “off the beaten path” post this week…and BTW, my blog’s byline is from a fortune cookie

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about these various fortune cookie sayings, how about you, have you ever come across a fortune cookie wisdom that really had significance or special meaning for you? Please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

In order to make your future bigger than your past, you first have to believe that it’s possible to have a bigger future, no matter what stage you’re at in life or what your circumstances are.  Often, this belief alone is enough to keep you growing.

It takes courage to think big and act upon it — start by making the decision to have a bigger future, no matter what circumstances may come your way.  Obstacles are an inevitable part of life, yet it’s how you respond that counts.  As Zig Ziglar said, “When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.”

Did you know that small steps keep you growing? Well…what exactly does this mean? After you have written down your goal(s), an example might be to take action every day toward your them.  A simple way to do this is break down your goal(s) into smaller “bite-sized” tasks that you can complete without becoming overwhelmed…remember, it’s by doing the small tasks that eventually lead to the big picture!

A bigger future is not necessarily about how much time you have left in your life, it’s about what you choose to do with the time you have left.  Regardless of  your circumstances, you can always choose to make your future bigger than your past — it’s simply a matter of choice and priorities.  Always use what you’ve learned to build upon a bigger future for yourself, and never stop learning.

Okay, so you may wonder, “Where do I start?” That’s a great question! Ask yourself a future-focused question. An example might be, “Where do I see myself in three years?” And follow with,  “What will need to change for me to make that possible?” And you continue to build from there…I think you get the point

Set goals: Creating goals for yourself will take you out of the past and creates a bigger future.  If you find it difficult to come up with meaningful goals, a great place to start is think of a few of your accomplishments from this past year and then what would represent a further achievement in each of these. By doing this simple exercise, you will begin to see what has been done, and what you need to do next!

A bigger future includes anything you want to see that’s improvement on what exists now.  Your future is your property…dream big!!!

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read here, find out more about how to make your future bigger than your past in Dan Sullivan’s book, “The Laws of Lifetime Growth”, from which this post shared about Law One of the book.

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about making your future bigger than your past ~ please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Does it come as a surprise to know that your Network Marketing or Direct Sales opportunity may not be a fit for everyone? Although you may feel that the products, company or opportunity you represent are the very best (and I hope you do feel this way about your business), they may not be the right products, company or opportunity for everyone that you talk with about them.

So, how do you know if your opportunity is right for someone?  By getting to know them. Sincerely be interested in finding out more about them as a person, build a relationship.   And, although this process does take time, the bottom line is that people will refer to, and join people they know, like & trust.

I was recently prospected and found the experience to be so awful, that if I was not already involved with & knowledgeable about Network Marketing, I’m sure I would have become 100% turned-off by the entire NM/DS industry.  The person who called me sounded excited, yet I could tell they were just reading from a script rather than sharing of themselves (why they joined and how it has or will benefit them or their family).  They never asked me any questions.  Instead I was told how this was a “ground floor” once in a lifetime opportunity, and although they just started, were already in management & going to be quitting their JOB soon because of the income they were making.  As our conversation continued, the more frustrated I became because this person knew I was already involved with another company that I’d been with for several years.  Did they happen to ask me if I was even looking for a change? No.  I felt like I was being talked at rather than talked to.  Big Difference!

I have found that by taking the time and effort to sincerely (there’s that word again) get to know people, you will learn whether or not they would even make a good business partner or client.  Ask questions and listen to their answers.  Do they sound happy when they talk about their current job or having enough money to do the things that are important to them?  Do they talk about having enough money yet never being home to spend time with their family? Do they now, or have they ever thought about owning their own business?  Are they a people person?  Do they have a problem that might be solved by the product(s) that you can offer?  You may find that people you talk with do not have any interest in owning their own business, or perhaps its just not the right opportunity for them.  And that’s okay.

To be successful in growing your business you do have to actively share your products and company with others, and if you approach this with sincerity and respect of the other person, I believe you’ll both have an enjoyable conversation.  Again, realize though that not everyone you share your opportunity with will join your company, yet some of the most successful Network Marketer’s have found their Ace business partners as a referral from someone else. And that referral most likely came about simply because that now successful Network Marketer got to know that person who referred – and in turn, that referee knew, liked and trusted them, making the referral possible.

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about relationship building in Network Marketing/Direct Sales ~ please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

* This post was originally published on May 24, 2010.

If you study successful people, you’ll find one trait they all have in common is consistency.

Consistency creates habits.  Habits make the difference between success or failure.  Did you know that quitting is a habit?  And, every time you quit, you risk damage to your self-esteem, and send your subconscious a message that you’re helpless.  You are not helpless.  If you’ll take action every time you feel like quitting, you will gain confidence that seems to make your next step easier. Consistency takes discipline and for some, this just isn’t an easy task.  Sometimes, just doing those small, often mundane tasks on a daily basis can make all the difference in driving you forward.

Being consistent is a tough job for most people, especially if it will be asking for major efforts and participation. Think about this: Unless you are willing to try to do something beyond what you have been doing, you will never receive the maximum growth that you need for your growth. Expand your expertise. No matter what you do, being consistent will lead you toward success!

Life happens and sometimes, the routine demands of life will overload you, or unexpected events will blow in from nowhere and threaten to drive you off course.  When such things do occur, confront the urge to give up.  From time to time, you’ll be tempted to rationalize, “Well, I’ll quit for now, but I’ll get back on track tomorrow or next week”  Don’t do it!  Instead, take immediate action to get you working toward your task before the temptation to quit gets too strong.

If you happen to own your own business, what can you do to ensure you stay consistent (in your business)?  One would be to make the decision to be consistent. Another would be to establish a daily schedule and set specific time to work on your business.  If your business is more than a hobby, realistically, you need to plan to work on your business a minimum of 4-5 days a week, for at least a couple of hours a day.  Keep in mind, it’s okay to work a business part-time or full-time, but never sometimes.

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your thoughts on consistency,  so, please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

* This post was originally published in May 2010.

In my post from last week I wrote about the power of networking and sharing of information with one another, and now I want to build on that concept a little more…

The individuals that I choose to network with all have very diverse backgrounds, interests, and goals — and this is a great thing because from time to time, as I may need feedback or assistance, I’m able to contact specific people about things knowledgeable to them. As an example, I’ve recently reached another crossroad in my business, and if you’ve ever been there yourself, you know how frustrating it can be ~ not knowing exactly which road to take and perhaps even feeling so overwhelmed, that you find yourself procrastinating ~ with nothing getting accomplished for a week…or longer! Ouch.

When I finally realized what was going on, that I needed a little assistance to get me back on track, I got in touch with two people I network with — successful individuals who I greatly trust and value their insights — and who aren’t afraid of hurting my feelings by telling me “like it is”, good or bad.  From talking with them, I was able to gain some much needed clarity and refocus on what was really important. And, I came away feeling refreshed, energized, and excited about taking my business ~and perhaps even my life ~ in a different direction.

And, at least for me, none of this would have been possible without me first having made the decision months ago to “get out of my comfort zone” and work to build genuine relationships with others — and of course, network.

How about you? Have you ever sought out assistance from someone in your network?

P.S. If you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please do me one favor and share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.