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10 Game Changers – Managing Money for Network Marketers

May 10, 2018/0 Comments/in Business, Personal, Success /by Kathleen Deggelman

Want to make a huge difference in your life? Learning to live your life like a business and taking good care of the money you work so hard to earn will do just that! We all worry so much about how much money is coming in and that is important but taking care of the money coming in is just as important. Taking care of the money you make is the difference between living comfortably or living with a monkey on your back, and the latter is not a comfortable way to exist. The stress alone can create so much mental, emotional and physical damage. You could be making six figures and still be broke. If the monkey of bad habits and negative psychology continues, more money is not the best answer. I think this is the definition of the rat race!

A change in perspective and positive action IS the answer!

Think about this: What is your relationship with money? Do you view it as a friend or an enemy? Is it the good guy or the bad guy?

Raising your awareness about the negative thoughts you have concerning money is half the battle…the rest of the battle is in deciding to make positive changes and TAKING ACTION. You have read this far, so you are likely considering making those changes. Let me share with you my best tips on how.

Below are my top 10 Money Game Changers that you can implement RIGHT NOW.

1) Understand Your Mindset – What Are You Carrying Around With You?

Growing up, how did your well-intentioned family set you up in terms of your money wiring? What was the money language?

Was there always a conversation about how tight money was? Or were there periods of free-spending, followed by bouts of deprivation?

What you are carrying with you from the past may be the reason that you are making challenging money choices… like going deep into debt, not paying your bills on time, or dipping into your retirement savings. The good news is that you can change all of that negative wiring. You really can! But first you need to understand where you currently sit with your mindset.

2) Make the Decision to Change Your Financial Blueprint!

You can live free of financial stress. Yes, it takes work, but you can do it and it is so worth it!

You see, how you feel about money will dictate whether you attract wealth or repel it. Do you feel that money is not good, or that you are not deserving of it? This thought pattern will prevent you from getting more of it. Some people believe money to be the root of all evil, but remember that money is neither good nor bad, it is just a tool, a tool that creates choice, and for most of us money is used for good things. I prefer Mark Twain’s perspective that “the lack of money is the root of all evil.”

3) Alter Your Intentions For Your Business.

A good intention for your business involves more than the desire to earn more money – it’s about saving it, investing, and putting it to work for you. Your network marketing business is about creating wealth, but you want to get smart about how you use the money that you make. Ask yourself what you want the money that your network marketing business provides to do for you.

Is it more stuff that you desire? Or do you want to change the lives of future generations? The goals you set will determine the outcome!

4) Expand Your Knowledge About Finances.

You have heard the saying that knowledge is power. When it comes to finances, that is most definitely the case. My life has changed because of the books I have read and of course, the people I have met along the way.

Are you afraid that it’ll be to complicated? Or do you hope that by ignoring the problem, it will all just go away? You no doubt already realize it doesn’t go away. Most financial solutions are not all that complex, and really provide you with loads of freedom when you are empowered and fully understand the issues..

Reading books by financially savvy people has been vitally important for me in increasing my financial I.Q.

Here are a few of my favorite go-to books:

Money master the game, by Tony Robbins; God wants you to be rich, by Paul Zane Pilzer; Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.

Pick one up this month and make it a goal to finish it. The knowledge within these pages will empower your future financial decision making.

5) Making The Money Is Only ONE Piece Of The Puzzle.

Can you increase your network marketing income if you really set your mind to it?

Are you able to devote an additional 4-5 hours per week to network marketing? If you are, then big things can happen FAST.

Review your cash in and cash out, and this will give you the insight, and knowledge that you can use to take control. You need to identify where your money is going, and where you can make small changes. Remember it’s the small, daily decisions that will empower you!

6) Create a Debt Snowball!

This is a fun way to think about your debt-freeing project. Imagine a snowball, that’s rolling down a hill and gathering momentum with each small amount paid off. Before you know it you’re at the bottom of the hill and you’ve CRUSHED your debt. I did this with an investment property mortgage recently. It is so fun to see the number go down!

Pay off the small ones first, and then strategically work your way through all of the larger debts. Imagine how free you will feel when you have NO MORE payments. It’s possible, and sooner than you think.

7) Hire an Accountant!

A good accountant will educate you about all the advantages of a home based business, and they will help you live your life like a business – strategically.

Ask your local financial institution for recommendations, and keep in mind that an investment made in an accountant is an investment made in the growth of your bottom line. In my experience, it pays off BIG TIME. Chances are good that you are not a financial expert or tax expert. Make sure you get good advice from a professional.

8) Create a Net Worth Statement.

Write down everything you own. Your assets go on one side of the page and everything you owe ( your debts) go on the other side. Then you subtract the difference. This will give you your current net worth.

Why do this exercise? It may well surprise you to see those numbers, but remember, what we track and measure can change because we are aware of it. And it’s fun to watch this change over time! I do a net worth statement twice a year and have been doing so for the past 15 years.

9) Play The Prosperity Game.

I learned this game from The Law of Attraction book I read a number of years ago. I started with $10,000.00 and each time I played, I added $10,000.00 and I would write down exactly what I would do with the money. Exactly – line by line.

Fast forward to 2 years later and I realized that I was playing with the exact amount of money in my prosperity game journal that the average top earner in network marketing was earning annually. It was one of those aha moments where I realized how powerful our mindsets are!

The way this works is that this game puts you in an abundance mindset. You will start to take action to create what your mind is imagining.You can play this game too.

Start with a journal and write down $10,000.00. Record how you will spend that money, and continue weekly or daily. You will be surprised to see how that will change your mindset and your reality.

10) Teach Your Kids the Game of Making Money.

Most of us have wiring about money that isn’t fun. How do you want your children to think and feel about money?

See if you can stop saying we can’t afford that, and instead start asking how could we afford that. This is a creative approach and will move your family forward. You can change your kids paradigm about money by changing your own first! After all, you are grooming the next generation in your family.

Let’s think long term! Let’s make a difference in our financial lives for good.

The only thing holding you back is you! Follow these 10 steps to increase your financial literacy, and start living your life to the fullest. Money is just a tool and you can do a lot of good and have a lot of fun with it. There is plenty of time left this year to step up to the financial plate and knock your debt out of the park!

Let me know in the comments which of these 10 game changers is your favorite, I’d love to discuss your progress.

P.S. I hope you found my article helpful on 10 Game Changers – Managing Money for Network Marketers, If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on New Year / New Goals / New You.

NEW YEAR / NEW GOALS / NEW YOU

January 12, 2018/0 Comments/in Business, Personal, Success /by Kathleen Deggelman

Well, 2017 is two week’s behind us now! I hear over and over again how fast time is flying by and I feel the same way! There are reminders everywhere to slow down and enjoy the moments. Definitely a 2018 new year’s resolution for me is to slow down and play hooky more! Last year was a great year for us. We launched our business in India, we spent almost 3 weeks in Tahiti with family and my company and we purchased what is becoming our dream home! Those are probably what I would call the “biggest wins”.

A learning moment would come from saying goodbye to a dear friend of many years. My friend Carol passed away a couple weeks ago and I will very much miss her. I want to learn from her and remember how much joy she found in small things and how much she laughed. I think I will miss her laugh the most!

My best personal memory for the year would have to be when Mark and I walked into the home we now own for the first time. We have been looking at homes for a couple of years and about 10 minutes after we were walking through this one for the first time, we turned to each other and said “This is it. We are going to write an offer.” Also a lesson in moving fast when you know you have to/want to do something. If we had waited one more day, I don’t think we would have gotten the house and land that is perfect for us!

With all that said, I think it would be helpful to explore ways to make OUR 2018 powerful, meaningful, and full of personal and business success. My wish for each and every one of you is that you have a great 2018! Here are 7 Ways to ring in the new-year with bells on!

Set 5 Big Audacious Goals for Your New Year.

5 big goals may seem overwhelming, but there are usually at least 5 major areas of importance in our lives, things we want and need to give our attention to. For instance, yours could include Business / Financials / Spirituality / Family / Health & Nutrition / Creativity & Travel.

Setting goals for some, or all of these areas makes it possible to maintain some sense of balance in an ever-changing world. When you know your priorities, it makes it so much easier to accomplish your goals on a micro level – day by day.

Bonus points if you share these goals with your community, a close friend, or your partner. Accountability breeds legitimacy! I share my yearly goals, dreams and resolutions with a close group of girlfriends. In fact, we have been meeting twice a month on calls for 10 years! Today as I write this, it is our 10 year anniversary!

Pick a Guiding Word for Your Year.

This is one of my FAVORITE activities. It’s such a gorgeous practice to sit down with a dictionary and a hot cup of tea to pick a word that rings true. This word is powerful. It is THE word that you want to describe your year. In one word. So you have to be laser focused and really think about what is the MOST important feeling for you to have this year! The word you pick will bring a central focus to your life, and can be applied to all of your goals.

My word for 2017 was Joy and for 2016 my word was Healthy. I will be figuring out 2018’s word this week but I know it is going to have to do with play, creativity, fun and health. It will be a trick to find the one word that best describes that!

Spend An Hour Reflecting on the Best Moments of 2017.

Self reflection is crucial to personal growth. But reflecting on the happiest days of your life from the previous year is crucial for your own inner sense of wellbeing. Beautiful things happen all the time. We often overlook them though, instead focusing on the painful events in life.

What was the best family moment of 2017?

What was an awesome business achievement of 2017?

What made you laugh the hardest in 2017?

Who made you smile the most in 2017?

My answers in that order: Christmas Day with my Mom and 35 family members. Opening India with my business. My girlfriends. My Husband.

I say, allow the joyful moments to shape you just as much as the painful ones. Our health, vibrancy, and ability to get back up after a fall, will all be greatly increased when we do!

Call 5 Friends Who Mean the World to You and Thank Them.

Who are the people that make your life worth living? Who do you consider a part of your inner circle? When was the last time you let them know how important they are to you?

Take out a piece of paper and write down 5 names. Whether they live close or far away, make it a priority to call them or write to them (yes, write an actual letter!) before the new year.

After all, these are YOUR people, the people who make life so much better. They are your tribe and will be there for you no matter what. Don’t they deserve a little love in return? I LOVE getting an old-fashioned letter and can’t wait to write my 5 letters this week!

Complete 1 Random Act of Kindness.

This is such a fun one, and there are a million ways to make it happen.

Maybe anonymously donate to a charity that you love, but don’t often support. Maybe next time you’re in line at the coffee shop, pay for the person behind you. Maybe bake some cookies, and gift them to an elderly neighbour. The world is a mirror and these random acts of kindness one act at a time makes our world and our lives a better place to be! The other day when I left the bank, there was a homeless mom outside and I slipped her a $20 – the gift for me was seeing her smile.

Look for opportunities in your day to day routine. There is always a way to give back, no matter how small!

Celebrate Anything That Slipped Through the Cracks.

Life gets busy. Kids and work and groceries and family obligations and, and, and…

There’s a good chance that something awesome happened this year that you really didn’t take the time to savour. Was it a successful business project that you never properly celebrated? Was it a family member’s achievement that went unnoticed? Was it a teammate’s success, that maybe got brushed under the rug during a busy time of year?

Look back in your calendar for missed opportunities to celebrate, and then have a little joy fest. Make sure you tell people how proud you are of them. We took our oldest daughter to the airport the other day to start her last semester of college and as I kissed her goodbye, I told her how proud I was of her. I remember when my Dad used to say that to me how much it meant to me!

Buy a few cupcakes to share and celebrate, take a long walk with your friend, or write a celebratory card to your colleague.

Let Go of Your Losses , and Allow Gratitude to Shape Your Life Moving Forward.

If there was a lot of rough patches for you in 2017, take the time you need to let go of that pain/anxiety/disappointment. But do let go of what you can. Make a list of your losses, and then make a new list of reasons to be grateful for them – or reasons to feel grateful for what they taught you. I love what Tony Robbins teaches that if you are going to “blame” someone or something for all the bad things then you have to remember to “credit” them or it for the good things too. Another way of looking at it!

This one isn’t easy but I am going to do this too: Set the intention to feel grateful every single day 2018. Frame your life with gratitude as your guiding principal, and 2018 will shape up just fine. At the end of the day, that cliche saying about how gratitude affects everything is TRUE! I hope this list is helpful to you. You don’t have to do them all, but even picking just one of these things and actually doing it this January, is sure to have a major impact on your overall happiness. A

All the best to a great New Year in 2018!!

P.S. I hope you found my article helpful on New Year / New Goals / New You, If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on How To Use Doubt As Rocket Fuel For Your Next Success.

How to Use Doubts as ROCKET FUEL for Your Next Business Success

November 30, 2017/0 Comments/in Business, Entrepreneurship, Personal, Success /by Kathleen Deggelman

It is a fact of life – there are many people who will doubt you. I hate to say it, but it is true. This isn’t necessarily unfortunate though! I actually believe that people expressing doubt in your abilities could be a gift. Let me explain.

I came across this Taraji P. Henson quote the other day in an article I was reading: “If you…allow people to project their fears onto you, you won’t live.” Pretty strong statement. Pretty serious consequences.

There are countless entrepreneurial examples of people who have used the words of doubters as fuel to expand, grow, and accomplish bigger things. I think we can all learn from this, no matter the stage we are at in our businesses. When I first started my business 11 years ago, I had my share of doubters and some of them were immediate family and very close friends. I couldn’t let it stop me so instead I used that as pure motivation to succeed.

But who are YOUR doubters, and how can you deal with them successfully?

Friends and Family:

Sometimes your doubters come in the form of loving friends and family.

Who here has heard the following:

“You want to start your own business? Selling what?”

“That’s going to be a ton of work, Can you really afford to spend time on it, and still be a good mom to the kids?”

“Nobody makes any money in those things.”

“Shouldn’t you get a real job?”

“You’ll never really be able to make a full time living from this.”

“Working for yourself is so hard. What about dental?”

These questions often come from a well-meaning, but fearful place. Fear is not a place that we, as entrepreneurs, can afford to run our lives from. So, take these questions for what they are – loving, and yes misdirected statements from people who are used to playing it safe— or at best just don’t understand what you are about.

Instead of letting these doubts stop us in our tracks, how about we use them as evidence that we’re doing something really exciting and innovative with our time? We are choosing to take a risk, but we’re smart, driven, and itching to try something new in life.

One reply that I like to use is: “Yes, it’s scary, but I’m so much happier living up to my full potential than I ever could be playing it safe.”

Current Colleagues:

The people we work with and those who have spent their entire careers working for someone else, really are not the people we want to bring our entrepreneurial business plans to.

There is nothing wrong with working for someone else, but people without the entrepreneurial bug, are just that —people without the entrepreneurial bug. It will be hard for them to understand why you would want to take on the extra load of self-employment.

To combat these negative influences, write down your own very solid reasons for choosing to build your own business. Answer this question: Why is this path worth it for me? It was so clear to me why this was worth it – I wanted to create time freedom and financial freedom. I wanted to say when I worked, where I worked and with whom I worked. And believe me, it has been worth every step of the way!

Your answers might even inspire some of your colleagues to think outside the box and bring a little something new to their current positions!

Internet Noise:

There are so many wonderful resources online, but the internet can also be a fairly negative place. If you spend too much time reading online, or listen to the opinions of people who go online just to complain, then you are going to have a hard time finding the motivation to continue.

My advice is to find industry-specific experts and follow them. Don’t clutter your feed with too many differing opinions. Choose people who are really good at what they do, and who offer positive, constructive advice.

Also, remember that your path is unique, all the doubters in the world don’t have your combination of talents, abilities, and drive.

Pessimistic Business Owners:

Sometimes we go to entrepreneurial meetups or local small business groups, and find that the attitude is less than stellar. This is unfortunate, but don’t feel like you have to listen to a negative-nelly just because they’ve been in business for a long time.

People get stuck in unproductive patterns, and it’s not a trap you have to follow. A positive mind, set on success is something you can cultivate and keep. These “seasoned business owners” who have a negative spin on everything are people who have forgotten their own power over the years. Don’t ever let anyone take away your power or your dreams!

Instead, surround yourself with business owners who are real about their struggles, but always looking for a solution. Those are the people you can learn from.

Doubt and Fear go hand-in-hand. But the antidotes are clear and simple:

Positivity
Good company
Solution-oriented thinking
Solid personal reasons for your chosen path

I love this passage by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

You are doing something great by moving ahead despite the fear, despite the doubters. It is worth it! It may be time to armor up. Next time a doubter comes knocking, flip it around as a powerful reason to continue building the business of your dreams. I am cheering for you!

P.S. I hope you found my article helpful on Using Doubt As Rocket Fuel For Your Next Success. If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on How To Cultivate a Millionaire Mindset.