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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.

Why Being The Worst Person In The Band Is A Good Idea

November 1, 2016/1 Comment/in Business, Success, Training /by Kathleen Deggelman

Were you ever in a band with someone that was a much better musician than you? Or played tennis with someone that was a much better tennis player? My Father was a tennis teacher and my brother is a tennis pro. When I played tennis with them, it was amazing how much better I was. I wasn’t in a band but the same principle applies. When we surround ourselves with people that are more successful than we are in the very thing we want to be successful in, then we improve too! This is true for everything – tennis, music, cooking, relationships, and network marketing too. We all know that one of the best ways to learn is by experience. Whether it’s a good experience or a bad experience, it will help teach us either way. However, as beneficial as it is to learn from what you have experienced, it can be far more efficient to learn from the experiences of others.

Personal experiences are a great learning tool but learning from others is faster and can save us a few headaches. Lots of people have traveled down the same road you’re about to go down and, although it may not be exactly the same road, there’s a good chance that they’ve already experienced the same problems you’re facing and their knowledge is a fantastic resource for either solving them or avoiding them.

Figuring things out on your own does have its merits but ignoring the experiences of others can waste time and what you may experience may be unnecessary frustration. We learn from those with prior knowledge and discoveries when we attend school but as we get older, we tend to attempt to figure things out by ourselves. Anybody relate to that? Remember, there are lots of ways that we are able to learn from another’s experience.

The first place to start is by reading. The internet and books are great resources for researching others experiences. Biographies are a great way to see how people you admire or wish to be, have handled certain scenarios that they’ve faced. In our business, you can read network marketing leaders blog posts. And there are lots of free training videos available on youtube. Here are some of my favorite books on our profession. (If using the internet as your primary resource, be sure the information is provided from a reliable source since some of it can be inaccurate.)

Search for a mentor within your company. Reach up to your sponsor and upline and make sure they know who you are. Your relationships with your upline and leaders within your company and our profession are worth their weight in gold. There are two ways to build our business – fast and fun or slow and painful. If you want more of the former, seek out a mentor to help you learn what you need to know faster!

Be sure to attend your company functions. This is a great place to meet and introduce yourself to the leaders and to start the process of connecting with the people that can make a difference in what you learn and how fast you learn it. After my first few conferences, I really began to understand how important they were to my success. Build friendships with your mentors. Not in a self-serving way but in a genuine, caring and reciprocal way. The old saying that “people don’t care what you know till they know how much you care.” Be sure to ask questions and attend as many functions as possible to continuously expand your own knowledge and network. Don’t worry about being the “worst person in the band”. I completely believe we really are the sum total of the 5 people we spend the most time with. Be sure that your five are helping you to get what you want in life.

I encourage you to try something new every day. By increasing your experiences, you will gain a great amount of knowledge that you will be able to apply in the future. What we want is just outside our comfort zone and by continuously trying new things and doing the things that make us nervous, the faster we will get where we want to go. The more you surround yourself with great mentors and leaders, the faster you will be able to find your greatness. The only way that all the new knowledge you learn will be effective is by using it daily. You know you are on to something, when as your experiences grow, others will come to you for advice and how to handle the very same scenarios that you once faced. Move forward every day, even if it seems like just a bit!

P.S. I hope you found my tips useful on why being the worst is not such a bad thing. If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on 7 Steps to Help Deal with Life when it Throws You a Curveball.

Network Marketing Tip: 6 Secrets from MLM Pros

July 26, 2016/3 Comments/in Business, Social Media, Success, Wealth Building /by Kathleen Deggelman

The more time you spend in your career, the better you will get at it. If you want to build your network, you need to identity the top network marketing earners and study what they do. I have had the pleasure of having several amazing network marketing coaches in the last year. Each one taught me something new that helped me accelerate my business. This week I was inspired to share the six best network marketing secrets I learned from the pros!

6 Network Marketing Tips That Will Help Build Your Business

1. Share what duplicates.

In the network marketing world, duplication is everything. Focus on finding 2 or 3 strategies for generating quality leads. Can this strategy be easily replicated? If so, then you are on the right track. Once you have processes that work, it is easy to share them with your team and help them advance quickly. It will also make training and continued education much easier for you! The saying isn’t what works, it is what duplicates. You may have a very nifty way to build your business and maybe you do it behind the scenes, but the absolute key is to share strategies that EVERYONE can do. If everyone can’t do, then be very careful about over promoting it within your team.

2. Understand WHY you are in the MLM industry.

To be successful you absolutely need to be motivated. You also need to be able to inspire your team. Take the time to understand WHY it is you decided to get into network marketing and what you want your business to do for you and your family. Make it personal. Dream about it. Create dream boards with your why and place them around the house. If that “why” is not strong enough, it won’t push you to success. The saying is your vision needs to pull you forward. There will be ups and downs but if your why is big enough, you will survive and thrive. It takes time to build a network marketing business. Usually much longer than people realize. My WHY is to help lots of people all around the world with better financial health and to create our own financial independence. And to take dream trips all around the world!

3. Earners are learners.

Always keep learning! The minute you stop keeping up with MLM news, strategies, team meetings, etc., you will lose your competitive edge. Just remember, there are other people out there who are just as hungry as you are, if not hungrier. Stay one step ahead by knowing the best and most innovative ways to build your business. And even more important than that is you staying inspired. There are two BEST ways to do this: always attend events and read 15 minutes from a positive book that inspired you. Your job is to stay motivated and excited about what you have to offer. Events ALWAYS rev me up and reading great books also make me feel like I can conquer the world.

4. Don’t rely only your warm market.

Let’s face it. It’s easier to focus on people in your immediate network to build your business. However, if you want to scale your business up, this is not a long lasting technique. Start thinking of innovative ways to find leads that can be replicated. For example, go to your town or county’s small business owners meet ups. That is a great place to find driven entrepreneurs. In the past few years, social media has been a great place to find new demographics and to connect with people that you never would have met before. Think ambitious. Motivated. Self-starter types! I love talking to small business owners because they already have jumped through a lot of the hoops we expect people new to network marketing to jump through. Business owners already get the value in a partner and are looking for extra ways to earn income.

5. Get social.

Social media has totally changed the network marketing game. Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter allow you to build teams all over the world without leaving the house! I am able to build and support my team and team culture using Facebook! Social media sites also allow you to communicate easily. It is hard to imagine even what it was like 5 years ago. My team uses a Facebook group page where we can all share tips, success, photos and documents. If you have a global platform with your company, you owe it to yourself to understand and take advantage of what Facebook has to offer. If you want to really learn this, take advantage of my good friend, Jessica Higdon’s training. Here is a link to several videos that Jessica recently created. Jessica always over delivers and has proven strategies for using social media to building a bigger, better business. https://gv964.isrefer.com/go/smrf-sales/kathdegg/

6. Be determined.

Building a network marketing business doesn’t happen over night. It will take time. It will take perseverance. You will hear a lot of “no’s”, but you can’t let that deter you! If you can keep learning, testing out what works and what doesn’t while having a positive attitude you will go far in this industry. I love that we get to earn and learn at the same time in our business. Quitters will always not get what they want! The fastest way to not get what you want is to give up. You have to have the tenacity to ride the wave. Enjoy the ride! A couple of years ago, there were some leaders in my business that were so frustrated with where their businesses were and then my company launched a new product that went viral and everything changed for them. What if they had quit? What if they didn’t have the long term vision you need to stay the course? They would have totally missed out on the best financial gain of their lives. It isn’t easy to stay in the game, but I can promise you, it is worth it!

These secret network marketing tips are now yours to share with your team! I hope that they can help you build your business. Do you have a secret tip you want to share? Post it in the comments below!

P.S. I hope my secret network marketing tips from MLM leaders were helpful to you. If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on How to Stay Persistent and Reach Your Goals.

Why You Should Get Into Network Marketing

July 20, 2016/1 Comment/in Business, Wealth Building /by Kathleen Deggelman

Wondering if the network marketing life is for you? In this blog post I am going to tell why I think you should consider a career in network marketing. I never ever thought that I would have a full blown career in this industry, but it has changed my life and I know it can change yours too. Most people do this on the side, at least until it becomes a big business, so don’t think this has to interfere with what you are already doing. You do this in addition to what you are doing now. Jim Rohn always said what you do in your full-time pays your bills and what you do in your part-time, makes your fortune! I have definitely found that to be true.

5 Reasons You Should Get Into Network Marketing

1. Flexible Schedule

Are you tired of working the same 9 to 5? Working for myself has allowed me to have a great work/life balance. I design a schedule that works for me. This gives me more time to spend with my family and friends. This is the number one best reason I love network marketing. I worked in corporate America for over 20 years. I understand the Monday through Friday schedule. I LOVE that I now choose where and when I work.

2. Increase Your Income

With most jobs, you only get raises in small increments. It is really hard to substantially increase your net income. Your network marketing business knows no limits! You can build your business as large as you want, allowing you to making thousands, even millions a year. Most of us are struggling in the world we live in today and most of us need to supplement our traditional incomes with something else. Network Marketing is a GREAT way to supplement your income and you learn as you go. This is big-time on the job training. You can earn while you learn!

3. Job Security

If you pick the right company to work with, you will always have a wonderful product and thriving business. You will never have to worry about being laid off. You will also never get fired. Imagine never having to stress about the security of your job! Because this isn’t a job. You aren’t an employee. YOU are the business owner. So many of us really and truly want to become entrepreneurs and I know of no other vehicle better than Network Marketing to become that entrepreneur you dream about. And I might add, with very small and minimal risk and capital.

4. Travel the World

I am constantly traveling for my job…and I love it! Many of the trips I take are to meet with my teams around the world and then there are the incentive and reward trips! Like we just got back from a first class trip to Switzerland! Gorgeous place and I can’t wait to go back. On a very regular basis, I get to meet and get to know people from all over the world. I love experiencing new places and new cultures and new foods! Many of my trips are completely PAID for. If you have always wanted to travel, this is a fantastic industry to get into.

5. Have a Happy Retirement

Do have a retirement plan? Most people don’t. And most of us stress a great deal about the lack in our retirement plans or the lack of funds at the end of every month. Don’t you think it is time to change that? What would you rather do – learn to live on less OR make more money so you can have the lifestyle you want and have money left over to share and do good things with? After 10 years of working in the network marketing industry, I can say I have secured my retirement. Creating residual income streams will allow you to retire happy and enjoy life!

Network marketing has absolutely changed my life. I never imagined I would have a career I love that lets me spend more time with my family, travel the world and make more money. Don’t misunderstand me. This is work and there are ups and downs but I have never had a better investment return than the time, energy and money I have invested in my network marketing career. If you are interested in a network marketing career, email me at kathleen@deggelman.com and I would be happy to give you some advice! Enjoy the lazy days of summer! Off to go kayaking…

How to Be a Leader

July 9, 2016/2 Comments/in Business, Personal, Success /by Kathleen Deggelman

Are you struggling to be a leader? Do you wish you were a better leader? Do you sometimes find it difficult to inspire and motivate your team? Most of us are not born natural leaders. However, there are some simple things we can do to truly inspire those around us to achieve phenomenal things.

Each of us has the capacity to become a leader and a great one at that. The first step is to be brave enough to connect with each other. When we do that we begin to build a team that can be devoted to each other.

Every organization functions on three levels. What we do, how we do it and why we do it. Most people can explain the what and the how they do something. That is good but not enough. Many of us have trouble explaining the WHY we do something. Once you figure out what motivates you to pursue your goals, you will be put on a much stronger trajectory than ever before. Only then will you be able to truly accomplish your goals and inspire others to do the same. True leaders know that their job is to inspire. The word inspiration comes from in spirit, to go within. When we are speaking from a place of knowing what we really want and what we really believe in that is when a person becomes compelling and can lead others.

Tips on How to Be a Leader

I realized early on in my network marketing career that people who were in it only for the money didn’t make it very far. Sure money is one motivator, but what else is it that really drives people? I wanted to travel, have freedom and spend more time with my family. I wanted more time to do the things I love, like gardening, entertaining and baking too. My desire for the lifestyle that I wanted was a huge driver in my success to achieve Diamond.

One way to be a leader to your network marketing team is to really express what motivates you to do what you do. Be passionate and be authentic. People will respect those qualities. It will inspire them to dig down and figure out what matters most to them. Give them the gift of inspiration. It is in the act of you being genuine and vulnerable by sharing what really matters to you that gives people the motivation to do the same. We inspire people by the actions we take. Or not.

Leadership is not just about being in charge. It is about taking care of those you are responsible for. You need to go to work for the people on your team, and when you put them first that is when they will be inspired by you. It is our example of how we work, how we operate, how we live our lives that move other people to do more of the same in their own lives. It is amazing what can happen when we make our teammates feel valued and valuable. People often ask me how do they attract leaders into their business. It starts with us. First you have to BECOME the leader you want to attract. Like attracts like. If you want that professional networker to come into your busines, you have to become what you want to bring to your business.

Become that leader. You can do it. Like I said before, it isn’t always something that comes naturally. It didn’t for me, but I kept working on my leadership skills and now have a global and thriving business. I am very grateful for the leadership lessons I got along the way and hope I have inspired you to step up your leadership game! I can promise you it is worth it.

P.S. I hope you enjoyed my post on how to be a leader! If you liked this, I think you will love my blog post on How to Successfully Work With a Long Distance Team.

Can a Penny Make You Rich?

July 1, 2016/1 Comment/in Business, In the Spotlight, Wealth Building /by Kathleen Deggelman

Here is one of my all time favorite blog posts. Please enjoy while I am on vacation with family and friends!

Income for Life… from a penny?

I hope you grasp the concept I’m about to share. Have you heard the story of the penny doubled? It starts with this question:

If someone were to offer you a choice to A) Receive a single PENNY today, and your money will double every day for the next thirty days, or B) Receive one MILLION dollars cash today, which would you choose?

For most, the immediate reaction is to take the million dollars. One penny? No thanks. One million dollars? Yes please! Upon a closer look and some simple mathematics, though, we see a different picture…

This table shows you how a penny can create income for life:

The penny doubled is actually worth FIVE times the quick million. If you focus only on your immediate results, no doubt you will be disappointed for the first few weeks with your slowly doubling penny. Something magical happens as you approach the three-week mark, though. Your penny has become thousands, and now those thousands are doubling to become millions! If you had the opportunity for compounding results like this, might you have income for life? You bet.

Direct selling works a lot like this. Your first commission check may be enough to treat yourself and a friend to dinner and a movie. Give it consistent effort and stick with it, though, and before long you will experience that magic moment where your business takes on momentum. This is where direct selling becomes a vehicle – not just for extra cash on the side – but possibly for true wealth and residual income. Imagine if you gave up your doubling pennies on Day 17 because you weren’t seeing the big bucks yet!

Because of the doubling penny principle in network marketing, in just shy of two years I went from zero to extraordinary income. It’s not magic. It’s the power of the direct selling business model. Bet you never look at that penny on the street the same way again!

For more insights on what it takes to be successful and how to create significant income in direct selling, check out my training “How to Become a Network Marketing Rock Star” on my website, kathleendeggelman.com.

What do you think about the power of a penny doubled? Share your insights below!

P.S. I hope you enjoyed my post! If you liked this, I think you will love my blog post on How to Successfully Work With a Long Distance Team.

How to Successfully Work With Long Distance Team Members

June 17, 2016/2 Comments/in Business, Health & Nutrition, In the Spotlight, Uncategorized, Wealth Building /by Kathleen Deggelman

If you want to build a BIG business in the network marketing world, you need to have a huge team. That means building teams all over the country and all over the world. There is truly only so many people we can bring on board in our immediate markets, so mastering the art of long distance team management is one sure fire way to accelerate your mlm business. However, working with people from every corner of the world has its challenges. Here are my best tips for successfully working with long distance team members.

Set Up Regular Check Ins

Setting up regular check ins with my team has been extremely helpful. A lack of communication in your business is going to cause major problems and will not make you more money. I like to give my regular check ins a set structure. We make a list of tasks, goals and objectives that we discuss during our phone calls. Then the following week, we go over that list and make new tasks and goals. This prevents things from falling through the cracks and gives your team the moral support and guidance they needs as they build their network marketing business.

Provide the Right Tools

Since you cannot be there in person to physically provide materials or advice, build a digital library of tools that can be easily shared. This will make your job SO MUCH EASIER. The more replication you can produce the better. That is key to building quickly. Your team is going to do what you do, not what you say. However you share the products and opportunity, always remember your prospect is thinking “So this is what I need to do.” The easier and quicker you make it the more people will also think “I can do this!”. That is why a digital library of tools for easy reference is so important! If every time you reach out to a prospect you have to search on what to send and where is that link, etc… Well, you can see how that would break down pretty quickly. Very important to remember you are just the messenger of the tools, not the message itself. Think about what this means – you are delivering the message meaning the tool, not the actual message. For example, your prospect wants to know about the comp plan. You deliver the tool – a quick overview of your company’s compensation plan and then answer questions after they have watched. Think about how much faster that is that you being the one to share over and over again what the actual compensation plan is. You have to think speed and efficiency.

Video Chat Regularly

It’s 2016, time to get hip with technology! I love using Google Hangouts and Skype to meet with my long distance team members. I am also checking out Zoom now. It’s so much more personal than a phone call and you can learn a lot more about their personality by seeing their expressions. What’s app is a great app that works really for long distance communications too. You can also record your video chats with your team and share them with teams in other locations. Again, regular communication is key. We are building relationships and even though we can’t see our long distance friends and teammates all the time in person, these tools will help them feel like you have seen them!

Encourage Your Team to Attend Events

The phrase in our business we say over and over again is that “We build our business from event to event.” Events are the BEST way to build belief in yourself, your business opportunity and the profession. And they are also great for team building and building rapport with each other. Events are a great opportunity to spend time with your long distance team. Going to your company and team events is one of the single best investments you can make! You need to become an incredible promoter of the events. Events build the community, culture and passion for your company. Events are the best way to be sure your team is constantly learning.

See you at the next event! Have fun with building your business all over the world. There is nothing like travel to broaden your broaden your perspective and to feed your soul! One of my favorite things about our profession is the places I have been to and the friendships I have met! Here is to your world travels and world teammates!

P.S. I hope my tips on successfully working with a long distance team are of value to you. If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on How to Stay Persistent and Reach Your Goals.

The Prosperity Game: Make Your Money Work For You

June 5, 2016/0 Comments/in Business, In the Spotlight, Success, Wealth Building /by Kathleen Deggelman

Many of us have been told to save money ever since we were young children. I am here to remind you of just how important that is! For some of us who struggle living paycheck to paycheck, saving and investing may seem impossible, but even putting aside a small amount each month is worth it in the long run. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you continue to save and work hard, your financial situation is bound to improve! Saving money, investing and living within our means is crucial for a variety of important reasons. In this post I will share some of my best financial advice and tools like the Prosperity Game. I have been playing this “game” for 10 years and I can tell you it is amazing, fun and fulfilling!

It’s Time To Save and Invest!

Having a savings gives you peace of mind. Think of it as a “uh-oh!” fund. By having savings, you will be covered if your car breaks down, your cat or dog needs an emergency surgery, or something else comes up. As you accumulate savings, you will find that your financial worries diminish. That will allow you to sleep better at night, and who does not want that?

Savings also gives you options. The more money you have saved, the more you can control your own destiny. If you diligently work and save, you can invest more into your own business, or make the down payment on a house. Knowing that you have options because of money you have saved and invested will give you even more peace of mind.

The more you save, the easier it becomes to accumulate additional savings. That is because you can start to invest some of those savings into places that will work for you, like a tax-advantaged retirement account, such as a 401(k). The earlier you start, the more time a small amount of money has to grow large through the miracle of compounding. Over time, you will need to work less and your money will work for you more and more. Eventually we all want to retire want? If you play the money game well, the game of investing and saving and living within your means, you will be able to retire well!

The Prosperity Game

Therefore I propose that we play a game to help you get into a great place of abundance about money. Most of us live in scarcity about money even when we have some or enough, most of us live in fear or lack about money. This game will help you change that. It has worked for me in so many ways! I call it The Prosperity Game! Every day you must “imagine” that you have just deposited the day’s amount (start with $10,000 and add $10,000 every day) and now you get to (have to) spend or withdraw all of it. Do this for 30 days and see what a difference it makes to your money mindset! Record what you are spending the money on in a journal. This becomes fun and it is a challenge too. Very quickly, you will be taking care of , guiding and spending great deals of money. For example, on Day 1 you deposit $10,000, while on Day 2 you deposit $20,000 which results in a cumulative total of $30,000. By Day 30 you will have saved, invested, or spent $4,650,000! You could choose to spend the money all at once on one thing or on many things. You could pay off your credit card debt or to pay a down mortgage, or something as fun as new clothes, or a trip of a lifetime or you could continue to save that money. Every day you start over in your journal with the new amount.

I have been playing this game for TEN YEARS. I am up to spending and guiding and investing over $9 million dollars now every time I play the game. Imagine what that would do for your money mindset and to help move you to a place of abundance. Have fun playing the game and take on getting smarter about your money: how you can earn more and invest more are two keys that will change your life!

Share this free tool with your team!

P.S. I hope my tips on making your money work for you are of value to you. If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my post on How to Stay Persistent and Reach Your Goals.

5 Pin Worthy Home Offices

May 28, 2016/2 Comments/in Business, In the Spotlight, Personal, Success /by Kathleen Deggelman

The weather is heating up and summer is almost here! When it’s nice out and the beach is calling it makes it harder to work from home. To hunker down and get the work done before we run off to the beach, the cafe, outdoors…Concentration levels start to weaken and all you want to do is put your toes in the sand. Setting up the ultimate dream office definitely helps to motivate you as you build your network marketing business from home. It is very easy to go into “Summer Mode” and not work your business very hard or very consistently. I can tell you one thing: those of us that plant the seeds in the summer will reap a greater harvest in the fall. Don’t fall into the “everyone is away” trap. They aren’t but if they are, they are in a lot of ways more likely to have time to be open and listen to what you have to say. Back to the home offices: here are 5 pin worthy home offices I love!

1. The artist retreat.

I love this home office because it inspires creativity. It’s always good to take breaks throughout the day when working at your computer. Any artists out there? Why not paint or draw for 15 minutes? The new adult coloring books seem to be taking the world by storm. I know some people that love them and some that can’t stand them. The idea though is to take a break and do something that feeds your creative soul.

Image: Ikea

2. The center of attention.

Working from home has a lot of great perks and one if them is that I get to spend more time with my family. I wouldn’t suggest putting your main desk in a communal area, but it is nice to be able to sit and work in the same room with your family. Good one to watch though – when the kids start saying things like “you are always working”, then best to put work away and just be present with them. Who doesn’t watch The Voice with their laptop going at the same time?

Image: Crate and Barrel

3. The ultimate view.

I travel a lot and I love when I get lucky and get a great balcony with a view. I love the idea of outdoor home offices. Constant fresh air and great lighting. I am working on this one for our San Francisco home! Just need to get a heat lamp too. Fresh air breaks are good just remember to focus and be consistent.

Image: Flexjoy

Home offices for the dream board!

4. The space saver.

If you are just starting your network marketing business, you may want to start out with a desk that doesn’t take up too much space. I love this folding desk. Very economical for space and money. And it doesn’t require an entire room. Just be sure you explain to the lovelies you live with that when you are working, you are working. Our kids don’t understand how I can be on the phone so much….

5. The shed office.

Need your own personal hideaway? I love this idea! Get away from all the distractions of the house with a cool shed office. We actually looked at real estate this week on Vancouver Island and one of the features of the house I loved was a boat house. It had great office written all over it. Alas, it is too big of a project for us right now but love the idea of an office outside of the house but real close to it. Good way to separate home and work too.

Image: Flexjoy

I hope these fun home offices inspire you to create your own dream space. Having your own personal work sanctuary will really help when you are antsy to get out side and play. I redecorated my home office a couple of months ago. Painted the desk a cool blue gray, got a comfy chair just for conference calls and webinars, some new art work and voila – love this space even more. Even a little something can lift your spirits in your home office. Just remember…work hard, then play hard. Enjoy the upcoming days of sun and vacation and it is always a great time to share what you do and love.

P.S. I hope my tips on working from home are of value to you. If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on How to Stay Persistent and Reach Your Goals.

Is Your Kindness Your Weakness?

April 26, 2016/1 Comment/in Business, In the Spotlight, Personal, Success /by Kathleen Deggelman

Recently, I have had a few teammates ask me about this. Is it possible you can be too nice or too kind when it comes to the business world? Some people may think that kindness is actually a weakness in the business world. It is true that kindness may cause some people to enter a less than positive business relationship and to be too trusting, which can cause them to be taken advantage of. I have certainly experienced this a time or two! However, if being kind, optimistic and warm-hearted is just who you are, then be ALL of that! In the right context, these traits can be excellent superpowers. Want to know if your kindness is hurting your business? Check out what I have learned along the way.

Kindness is definitely not a weakness! And you cannot pretend to be something that you are not. That will not give you strength or make you successful. Don’t suppress any part of who you are (well, let’s say don’t suppress any “positive” parts of who you are….) I see the future of our network marketing business as being more connected to humanity than less so. In such a business scenario, kindness and enthusiasm is definitely not considered a weakness. You just have to put yourself in the right environment that will give you a chance to thrive. Embrace your kindness and enthusiasm because they are both incredible strengths!

Of course, it is important to learn to set boundaries. No one enjoys being treated like a doormat. There is a difference between being kind and letting others walk all over you. Some people just give so much that others take advantage of them. In that case, then kindness IS a weakness. However, it is possible to be generous with your time and resources while also setting healthy boundaries. I know I had to learn how to do this. The bigger your team gets and the higher up you go, the bigger the need to set those boundaries for you, your health and your work/life balance. Another thing we need to learn is that there is a big difference between giving to give and giving to get. When we aren’t attached to the outcomes and give generously, better things happen for us than when we have that underlying criteria going on where it is really more about what we are going to get back. This is usually followed by an attitude of resentment –where we think something like this: “I don’t know. I always give and get nothing in return. I guess I just expect too much of people.”

If you give too much and don’t set boundaries, you may end up feeling like you are a victim and being taken advantage of. On the other hand, people who give to give, do so because they just want to. They want to help others and offer their resources, time, heart and love with little expectation of getting anything in return. That may sound like an ideal but we can strive for it right? What if you tried to do something purely out of the desire to connect with another human being? Celebrate your kindness and generosity but if you don’t want your kindness to get you into trouble, then you will want to practice being deeply generous with your time and resources while ALSO learning to set boundaries and sometimes say no. It really helped me to ONLY say yes to the things that I was really happy to do. Don’t say yes because you want something in return, even gratitude. Say yes because you actually want to help and express love and caring for another human being. The more of this you can do, the happier you will be and like attracts like. You will be blessed for those acts of kindness!

One last note on this: once you say yes to something, don’t feel upon when it comes time to do it. You said yes. If you focus on what you can give rather than what you can get, you will be happier and more successful. Just remember, you can’t do this as a manipulation – you really have to give from a genuine place.

So embrace your kindness! Cheers to your success!

P.S. I hope my tips on kindness in the business world are of value to you. If you liked this blog post, I think you will love my blog post on How to Deal With Negative People! You also may enjoy this additional training about Success Secrets From Top Team Builders from Ray Higdon.