1. Make your “To Do Lists Now” (try to have done at least 2 – 3 weeks in advance)

• Make a list of people you need to buy gifts for and amount you are spending. Keep it with you so if you are doing other shopping and you see something that would be great for someone on your list you can mark it off. Consider shopping online and through catalogs.
• Make a list of parties you are attending. If you need to bring something (a dish to pass etc.) plan ahead for ingredients you’ll need. Don’t wait until the last minute.
• Make a list of parties or get-togethers you are hosting. Have a complete list of everything you will need to do and have on hand for the party. Example: Centerpiece – Holly greens, candles, berries, ornaments, wire. Punch – Fruit Punch, 7-up, pineapple juice, sparkling grape juice. Hors d’oeurves – pita bread, cream cheese, green onions, sliced ham. Holiday plates, cups, napkins, glasses, silverware, etc. You get the picture. The more complete your list the easier it is to remember everything.

2. SPEND TIME DOING THINGS WITH YOUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN. Kids keep the magic in Christmas. Plan a special event that can become your holiday tradition.
3. Cut down on the people you buy for. This is a tough one. Don’t spend more than you can afford or you’ll be stressed after the holidays paying off debts. Ask yourself, “why am I buying for this person?” I know people that have been exchanging gifts for years, neither want to exchange anymore, but each is afraid to say something to the other person. Speak up! Consider drawing names rather than buying for everyone in the family.
4. It’s about more than just presents! Remember that it’s a season. Celebrate every day! Use your Christmas china the whole month of December, not just on Christmas. Put your tree up early so you can enjoy it! If you decorate outside do it before it gets bitterly cold.
5. Don’t make all the cookies yourself. Do a “cookie exchange” with friends, family and co-workers. Have each person make 1 to 2 dozen cookies for each member in the exchange. You’ll end up with a wide assortment of cookies with very little effort.
6. Take some time for yourself each week. “NO FEELING GUILTY”!
Take a bubble bath and surround yourself with candles.
Read a good Christmas story. My favorites are “The Christmas Shoes” and “The Christmas Box”
See a Christmas play or concert
Take a night away with your spouse or friend
Go sledding, skating or play in the snow (if there is any)
Take an afternoon nap (and don’t feel guilty)
Write a letter (not E-mail) to a friend you haven’t seen in awhile
Get your hair and or nails done
7. Don’t worry about the after Christmas sales. (I can’t believe I used to get up at 5:00 a.m. just to go shopping the day after Christmas.) Now there are just as many good sales before Christmas as there are after.
8. Get in touch with “your inner self”. Take time to list all the fantastic things you have accomplished this past year. Make your goals and plans for the next year.
9. Volunteer. When we see others who are less fortunate than we are it helps us to keep everything is perspective. Add the less fortunate to your list and help with toy and food donations. Remember, “it is better to give than to receive”.
Use these suggestions and enjoy the holiday season.
This newsletter is copyrighted © December 2004 by Phelps Positive Performance, Inc. You may share this newsletter as long as full credit is given to the author and this copyright is attached.

How you handle new information tells a lot about what type of person you are and how well you will do in business and in life.

What do you do with the information you learn?

1. Review it, think about it, review it again, think about if it will work and what will happen if it doesn’t and implement only if you think everything will work out well?

2. Review it, implement the information as soon as you can and hope for the best. After implementation review and make changes if necessary.

3. Review the information and discard it because it’s too difficult to change what you are already doing or because you DO NOT TRUST the source?

By answering this question you’ll find out if you are a thinker#1, a doer#2 or an avoider #3. Here’s a little tip. Most of the great successes in life are doers! You can have brilliant mind and no money if you never take action on what you learn!

Implementation is the Key to Success and the missing link for most people who wander aimlessly in mediocrity. It’s time to take action NOW!

Well, how did you do?

“Whether it is good or bad, when you do something often enough, it will become a habit! Choose your habits wisely!” Karen Phelps

As I was riding my bike up my driveway last week I realized it was a lot harder to get up the driveway than it had been the previous week. After I made it to the top and did my “celebratory drive in a circle” I realized it had been more difficult because with my busy travel schedule I hadn’t rode my bike in 6 days. The consistency of riding my bike 5 days in a row had helped to train my body for performance and then I took too long of a break and I needed to get the edge back again.

That’s when it dawned on me! Everything we do in every aspect of our life becomes easier once we do it consistently enough for it to become a habit! Once you develop a consistent pattern of doing something correctly you will discover how easy it is to achieve your desired results!

I laugh when people tell me they don’t have any habits because the truth is we ALL HAVE HABITS! When they tell me they don’t have any habits they are thinking only of bad or destructive habits, which truth be told, we all have many we just dismiss them! Because you are an entrepreneur it’s important for you to develop goo habits that will help you grow your business! Habits are simply the result of doing something consistently! Doing the “right things” on a consistent basis WILL alter your lifestyle. Here are 3 simple steps to help get you on track.

1. Write down everything you do all day long for 3 days. Wow, if you want a real eye-opener this is it! You’ll be surprised at the amount of time wasted on bad habits. You might discover you have a habit of checking your email every 15 – 20 minutes instead of checking it 3 or 4 times each day. You will also discover that you have developed some GOOD habits, like I have of exercising first thing in the morning, journaling, praying or taking time out to be grateful. The important thing is to look at your list to see if what you are doing daily is adding to your pleasure, your income and your self-improvement or detracting from it.

2. Add activities that will help you grow personally and professionally. If there are several things you do consistently that are not helping you in your life or business it’s time to make a conscious effort to change. I forgot to mention that when I am riding my bike or walking each morning I am also listening to motivational or training programs. I know I need to continually feed my mind with motivating material as well as materials that will help me grow as an entrepreneur. I have done this for over 30 years. It’s consistent it’s a habit and the result is continued Self-Improvement!

3. Quit Waiting for Perfection! JUST DO IT! Like the Nike commercial I am a firm believer that it’s time to Just do it! Some people avoid doing things because they are waiting to get good at it and they fail to realize the way to get good at it is to do it! Wow, it doesn’t get much simpler than that. I have had new consultants tell me they can’t start holding parties because they don’t know enough yet and my answer is simple, “You’ll learn everything you need to know once you begin to hold your parties. Come and watch me do a couple and then go do your own and we’ll talk about them when you get home until we fine-tune your presentation so you are getting sales, bookings and recruit leads from every party.” ACTION = RESULTS

So don’t wait for the perfect moment to begin your diet or exercise program. Don’t wait for the right time of the month to make your phone calls for bookings. Start doing what you need to do now and do it every day over and over again until through consistency you master that which at first seemed impossible! The world is waiting for you to take the next step!

“What’s real to you today is based on your past experiences. If you limit your future based on your past you won’t go anywhere. You have to have goals big enough to drive you and excite you!”

This is what I heard one morning as I was listening to Tony Robbins during my daily bike ride.
Tony was talking about goals and the challenge most people have not only setting but achieving their goals.
In my thirty years in direct selling I have come to realize the majority of people set mediocre goals for themselves. Their fear on not being able to reach their goals prevents them from raising the bar! Most people would rather set a comfortable goal and reach it then set a higher goal and miss by a little. How will they ever get better? They won’t!

You must continually set new goals that are loftier than your previous goals and design plans to achieve them. The pursuit of higher goals provides you with a new different reality. If you are continually having the same results it’s most likely because you have been setting the same goals, or worse yet not setting goals at all.
If you are ready to sail a different course here’s what you need to do.

1. Write it down. What do you want? Do your want to earn your company trip or contest? Do you want to advance in leadership rank with your company? Do you want to double your leadership bonuses this year? Begin now creating a list of what you want to accomplish personally and professionally in the next year.

2. Why do you want it? “Just because” isn’t going to provide you with enough determination to reach your goal when the going gets tough. You need to have a real why for succeeding. I want to earn my company trip to Hawaii so I can provide my husband with a wonderful experience to thank him for all his love and support! I want to earn at least $50,000 per year in leadership bonuses so I can replace the income I am earning in my full-time job so I can stay home with my children. Make sure your why is powerful enough to motivate you!

3. Create the roadmap for your success. What are the steps you need to take in order to make your goal a reality. You need x amount of sales each month and x number of recruits in order to earn the company trip to Hawaii. Break it down month by month, week by week, day by day until you know exactly what you must do in order to make your goal a reality.

4. Picture yourself as if you have already achieved your goal.Close your eyes and visualize the warm sand under your feet, the sound of the waves as they break at the shore, the beautiful palm trees swaying in the breeze. You must immerse yourself in your goal as least once a day in order to keep it real for you. The more real you make it in your mind, the more focused you will become on making sure you do what you need to do to accomplish your goals.

Don’t limit your future based on your past. Create a new, beautiful, exciting future that is filled with hope and promise. Dream, believe, work and achieve. The world is waiting for you to take the next step!