Picture a field of wildflowers.Put people on opposite sides of the field.  Cue up sappy music. They make eye contact.  They know what they want ~ and then starting in slow motion, they run towards each other. When 

Run Hard; Run Smart; Run Fast; Run Steady!

Running was always tricky for me.  I had all sorts of opinions about running, the need for it, the benefit of it, my running style … you name it!  If it had anything to do with running, I had an opinion and it probably wasn’t good. BUT, I knew I wanted to run!  That is when it hit me that I was attempting to run like others. I was comparing myself to them in every detail,  and that never ends well for anyone!  Run YOUR race!  You know what you want – so go for it!

When working towards success, getting started and building momentum is always the most challenging.  More energy is spent getting the ball rolling than keeping it rolling.  This is when you need to Run Hard.  Daily focused commitment is absolutely necessary at your pace!  Some people have hours a day and others minutes.  Pick your time and commit to that daily.

Now that you know how much you are doing daily – I want you to Run Smart.  This is all about doing the activities that will actually get you where you want to go – no fluff – simply the down and dirty actions.  Do the actions at the level of your capability and with practice you will make progress and progress is perfection.   To grow my business requires that new people join my business either as customers or team members.  Period!  There is nothing fluffy about that.  This breaks down easy: I meet new people. I build relationships. I share the gifts of my company. I invite them to join me. I help them reach their physical and financial goals. I love them well.  That is what it takes to get me where I want to go. If my time commitment is 15 minutes – I do my thing for 15 minutes!

As momentum builds and results start happening – I choose to Run Fast.  I see what I have done with 15 minutes and I like those results, so I up the ante.  I find other nooks and crannies to fit in more activity.  Maybe I’m now at 30 minutes a day or even an hour.  Remembering the principles of Quickly – Running Fast becomes easier – Know the activities and get it done!

As you get into your groove, perhaps the most challenging aspect of running is the mental game … Run Steady!  You have your time set – honor it, stick to it, do it!

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! ~Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message

Keep YOUR next finish line in front of you … every journey has mile markers along the way …. know where you are going.  Run to get there. Take a minute to breathe and celebrate the accomplishment – then repeat …. Run Hard. Run Smart. Run Fast. Run Steady, You will get to where you are going – one foot in front of the other.  Practicing what I preach – know that my journey currently has me Running for Ruby!  See you at the next finish line!

Effort on your part is always part of the success equation. Some of the effort may feel “hard” while other parts feel “effortless”. I love the analogy of driving a convertible – you may be sitting in traffic smelling the exhaust or you may be flying down the highway with the wind in your hair … regardless of your season – know that it is more fun going fast!  

Quickly refers to the power of pace. 

This is an invitation to choose self discipline with focused time blocks. We are each given 24 hours in a day and it is the only resource that we can’t ever get back – once it is gone, it is gone.  The move from available to memory is a permanent thing. All of the billions of dollars in the world will never ever be able to buy the opportunity to relive yesterday.

Parkinson’s law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.  When you give yourself a week for a 2 hour task – the task builds in complexity to fill the time.  And don’t forget to include the emotional investment and mind space that it occupies.  I can be quite guilty of this. Let’s keep it easy since we all want to live in a clean house.  I used to have 2 hours allotted every week to clean our under 900 sq ft condo, and it took the full time and possibly then some every week.  Then something happened to shift my perspective – over breakfast, my inlaws announced an unexpected visit with a 35ish minute arrival.

Yes, that changed my motivation and my speed.  My basic home blessing was completed 28 minutes after they called.  I even had time to be still to mentally prepare for the visit – lol.  Did the tasks change? no. Did the quality of my effort change? no. Did the end result change? maybe a little in my eyes but not to anyone else! That 30 minute window turned my schedule upside down and inside out!

It’s time to focus your genius on what needs to be done at what level!  At our house we play games and turn it into a competition!

Set clear intentional goals: know what you ultimately want to accomplish and then break it into bite sized manageable pieces.  Break it down to the daily activities that need to happen!  And EVERY goal breaks down into daily actions!

Determine your done enough: how often do we add fluff to make something pretty? think about what you are holding onto or what scares you about finishing!

Use timers: we really do not have any idea of how long tasks take. Take any task and create a deadline for yourself – I manage my life in 15 minute increments as my electronic calendar doesn’t like smaller time blocks. Stay focused and keep moving.  My weekly home blessing is now scheduled for 45 minutes.  I got back an hour and 15 minutes a week on that one simple change that is now on autopilot!

Challenge yourself:  I was encouraged to set my timer for half of the time I had alloted.  Sometimes it took was less and other times I wasn’t even close to done enough.  And that is OK!  This is a learning process.  I learned how long certain activities take and I also learned how to break big tasks into smaller chunks! I got the idea by inviting others in for perspective.

Build in rewards: I am building the life of my dreams in the nooks and crannies of my day and the extra time I have renews my energy.  There are daily activities to complete to build my Plexus business, to run my household, to take care of my hubby, to invest in friendships.  And they all happen one minute at a time. I take my rewards weekly as time for renewal – choose your activity – reading, napping, sewing, hammock time just staring off … it works!

Set your goals.  Stay focused.  Act quickly. Accomplish.  Finish. Renew. Repeat!

Do what you like and like what you do is the best way to live your life.  Sounds easy enough, but how many people actually get to live this out every day! 

Passion is the internal drive to make it happen!

Who you are, what you love, what you enjoy, what fills your tank, what you are gifted in all come together to form your passion.  No two people are identical and no one brings you to the table but you! God gifted you and gave you your life and experiences for you to accomplish great things.

There are so many examples where someone knew what they were meant to do and they decided nothing would stop them from doing it!  And most every major accomplishment in my life combines my passion and my purpose: from my last corporate role as an Internal Strategy Communications Manager to becoming a Life Coach to serving on the directional team at Shelter to being a Senior Gold Plexus ambassador … and beyond! No matter what is required, I can feel energized after investing hours into a project when I work in my sweet spot. I pray you will get to know yourself and then find out how to live out your passion every single day!

My passion is helping people – I am blessed with a servant’s heart and I LOVE seeing others succeed!

My purpose is to be an instrument of change physically, financially and spiritually in the lives of others!

My power comes from the Holy Spirit who lives in me.

God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours! ~ 1Peter 1:2 The Message

Opportunity is officially defined as a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.  The fact is

Opportunities are everywhere!  

The key is to learn how to recognize them.  This is something I learned at a young age.  If I was first up on a Saturday then I got to pick the channel for the TV.  And yes this was a big deal as my only sibling is my 6 years younger brother … needless to say our cartoon tastes were not the same.

I didn’t know it at the time, but this is a classic example of preparation and opportunity meeting and success following.  What was my preparation?  It was everything from KNOWING what I wanted (or didn’t want), OBSERVING others, PLANNING activities, taking ACTION and BELIEVING anything is possible.

It all started because I knew I did not want to watch He-Man or GI Joe any more.  So I studied our TV Guide that we got in the mail once a week to see what was on.  Remember – this is the late 70s – before remote controls and cable tv.  I found all kinds of fun things I wanted to watch from cartoons to the Disney nature shows to geeky science shows.

Next I watched how my family did things.  Everybody stayed up late on Friday and slept in on Saturday. I learned that if I went to bed close to my normal time, I’d wake up close to my normal time which meant way ahead of everyone else. So I made the decision to go to bed after Dukes of Hazard so I could do my thing on Saturday morning and to this day, I still have no idea what came on after Tom and Luke Duke did their thing in the General Lee.

As a 9 year old, I was definitely going against the norm to wake up early on a Saturday morning.  I didn’t go along with everyone else and I believed there was value in what I wanted.  I made decisions and took actions believing it was possible to have what I wanted. The habit stuck and has served me well over the decades … my quiet Friday nights even shaped my first date with my hubby of 23 years but that is a whole other story.

Something to ponder – success is not possible without preparation.  To be successful you need to seize the opportunity.  So was my Saturday morning takeover simply preparation or was that creating an opportunity? Think about it …. when you prepare for things through study, practice, exploration, or invitation, how often does opportunity seem to show up?  Take the chance.  Prepare for what you want. Walk through the doors of opportunity that show up!

At a training I heard the words “Progress is Perfection!” Oh did that resonate deep in my soul … how many times do people quit just moments before a big breakthrough? When have you quit on yourself before you reached the finish line?

Never ever give up

Yes you you are worth it and

Yes your dream is really is possible.

When I did triathlons, the course was mapped out, there was a starting area, transition areas, water stations and a finish line. I trained to finish. I gave it my best and stayed focused on my next action to get closer to the finish line. I often had time goals set for each of the disciplines, and sometimes I hit my goal times, and sometimes I didn’t. The ultimate goal was always to finish!

We all have races to run in our lives … When God lays a goal on your heart, he wants you to run hard after it … it’s part of his good, pleasing and perfect plan for your life.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. ~Philippians 3:14

Chances are, it’s not going to be easy; it’s not going to be comfortable; and it’s going to require you to grow. And when we are walking the path God has for us, we have an enemy that wants to stop us. John 10:10 says he comes to kill, steal and destroy BUT GOD says I come so that you have an abundant life.

Part of my purpose in life is to be an instrument of spiritual, physical and financial transformation in the lives of others.  One tool he has given me to help others is Plexus. Our first big dream goal is to reach the jewel level – it’s the 7th promotion you earn. Never quitting means knowing you will hit your goal – no matter what!

On day one, our goal date was 2 years – May 2017. We didn’t make it. Life happened. Thad’s accident happened. Personal growth was required. We still have other goals to hit before we reach it – in February we achieved our 4th promotion. The dream goal is still very present in our lives; we adjusted the deadline not the dream. Progress is perfection! Never Quit!

How many times have your been told to work on your weaknesses?  It might possibly be the most annoying misguided business advice in the history of ever!

Magnify your gifts to multiply the rewards

In context there is nothing “wrong” with working on weaknesses.  There are moments that it is critical (think sin).  If you have a weakness for sugar and you are diabetic, that is one thing – but in a context of success, working on weakness can destroy the very essence of who you are and who you were created to be!

I want to invite you to step into your strengths!  Go full into your endeavor with every gift God blessed you with and partner with people that are strong in other ways!

I am a details person.  I love spreadsheets and systems. I can see the big picture and in a split second see what the steps are to make it happen.

I am not, however, gifted in making the steps fun or bringing others in to the accomplishment.  I can also get bogged down in the sequence and completion instead of staying focused on the desired finished state.  This ties back into the joining hands! I have friends that can make anything fun!  They can take my methodical steps and package it in a way that everyone wants to be a part of the journey!  I have other friends that completely grasp the idea of “done enough” and “next step.”

When we work together, the results are exponentially multiplied.  We have celebrated the wonderment on more than one occasion and look forward to the next “event.”  When we operate in our God given gifts, we are inviting God, creator of the known and unknown universe, to step into our process and give us strength to accomplish His will for our lives.  And when we partner with others that received different gifts, God takes our actions and blesses them beyond belief.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. ~Ephesians 3:20, The Message

This was posted on one of our Plexus team pages …. It is the essence of the day!

Love people. All people including yourself.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine…

Quite possibly the most underrated character trait is perseverance.  Its that grit.  Maybe you prefer the word determination.  Regardless of your word choice, it is how you show up when you face roadblocks.

Keep on keeping on.  

When I was little my dad always encouraged three things: self discipline, respect and perseverance. He promised that with these three things you could do or change anything. And now that I am older, I do understand them better and see them as a foundation for anything great that I could ever hope to accomplish.

I can’t hear or say the phrase keep on keeping on with out hearing it in my dad’s voice or seeing him at different points in my life.

The first time was when he was encouraging me to be a good girl as he was leaving on an extended Navy deployment to Iceland.  He was in his flight suit and I was in my jammies holding my dog Butch – I might have been 4 or 5 … You keep on keeping on baby lady.  I remember the encouragement as we were having our first morning in Texas – I was starting a new school and he was heading out for his first flights with Braniff.  I remember him encouraging himself as he and my mom were flying out to be with grandpa and grandma after a horrible car accident that killed my uncle … No matter what we face, we have to keep on keeping on.

So many times through high school, college, becoming independent, getting married …. every high and low, no matter the emotion – the guidance was the same – keep on keeping on …. don’t stop.  Get to the other side. Its part of your journey.

Whether he said it through the laughter of a watermelon seed spitting contest during the summer or through tears in the ER while we were waiting for word on my husband after his accident, its the same message … God’s got this. God will grow you through this … Let Him!

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. ~Romans 5:3-5

We were never meant to live life in an isolated bubble.  We were created for relationship! Scary thought? It was for me when I started my journey over 10 years ago – I was an island in a big ocean of my making. My behavior constantly reinforced my isolating “I’m on-my-own” mentality.

Some people will read this and think I am crazy for mentioning this when it is so natural for them … and others may melt down thinking there isn’t anyone in their life they can even relate to.

Join hands with those around you.

All through scripture, we are given examples of relationships: the friends that become family, the people we live life with, the people we meet for a season … they all count.

Joining hands with others requires intimacy. Intimacy is the deep meaningful relationships that we have in our lives – both with God and others – that He uses to mold us and grow us.  I had to face the truth … Deep down I was scared of being known!

Relationship is a mirror in which you can see yourself, not as you would wish to be, but as you are. ~Jiddu Krishnamurti

Learning how to have intimate relationships required complete examination from the inside out. Who was I as a wife? Who was I as a sister? Who was I as a friend?  I wasn’t sure what I’d find, thought I was pretty certain that even though I can love well, there were going to be things I definitely needed to change!

A starting point was to actually make my list of who was in my life and how close were they and how honest would they be with me … I was looking for their honesty from a place of love, support and wanting to see me grow. I had to have conversations with people.  I had to share my heart, my hurt, my struggles, my beliefs and I had to open myself to feedback … What did I need to change to be a better me? Some people rose to the challenge and others faded away and that is ok.  I know that God provides the counsel I need to hear no matter whose lips deliver the message.

And it continues today … some people will come into your lives for a season and others for a lifetime.  It is a choice to nurture the relationships as they are and to grow them in agreement with others.  Any kind of success you seek will always require the support of others.  They don’t have to share your vision, but they do have to love you, support you, be for you, and want the best to come to you!  I invite you to figure out who you join hands with and then run together and build the life of your dreams with those and new relationships.