My 3-year-old is trying to learn how to button his shirt.  When he’s having “one of those days,” he’ll whine “I can’t do it,” as he half-heartedly fumbles with the buttons.  To encourage him, the rest of us will start chanting “I think I can” a la The Little Engine That Could ~ one of our favorite books.

His success rate when we can get him to join in with “I think I can,” is – not surprisingly – much higher.

In my experience, this simple example with my son has a lot to do with success in your online business.

I know a lot of people disagree with this notion.  Certainly I’m not suggesting that sitting on your couch chanting “I think I can” will make your online business successful?

Well, no.  But I am saying that using positive affirmations throughout your day, and taking quiet moments to visualize your life as if it were exactly the way you want it to be, are crucial components to your success.

These “new age,” eyebrow-raising techniques got a bad name around the time the book/movie The Secret was such a popular phenomenon.  Many people thought The Secret suggested that you could get anything you wanted in life by laying on the couch and wishing that it would come to you.

Obviously, closing your eyes and seeing yourself as a millionaire while you repeat over and over “I own a successful online business,” is not going to do anything to grow your email list or your bank balance.

Or is it?

I just told you that affirmations and visualizations are a critical part of building a successful online business.  Here’s how.

It’s not that the affirmations and visualizations themselves change your life.  It’s the behaviors – the actions – that result from dumping all this good stuff into your brain that change your life.

If you keep telling yourself positive things, and seeing yourself living the success you strive for, it’s going to motivate you to act in accordance with your thoughts and your vision.

If you don’t believe me, try it.  You don’t have to admit to anyone that you’ve resorted to such silliness in your pursuit of success.  Until it works.

Jim Rohn espoused an accurate, although somewhat pessimistic, view on affirmations when he said –

“Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.”

While I agree 100% with my favorite mentor, I would say –

“Affirmation plus action equals accomplishment.”

I get Mr. Rohn’s point ~ if you sit around saying you’re great, yet you don’t have the discipline to do great things, you’re merely deluding yourself with your positive talk.

But my point is ~ if you fill your mind with positive affirmations and visualizations, this practice gives you the discipline you need to take the action that will turn what’s in your mind into your reality.

Affirmations and visualizations aren’t a replacement for action.  But they are a valuable back-drop that will motivate you to work on your online business when you really want to watch tv.  To write just one more article when you really want to go to bed.  And to step out of your comfort zone and put that “buy” button underneath your ebook when you hate the idea of  sounding “salesy.”

My favorite example of visualization at work comes from Denis Waitley’s stories about working with Olympic athletes.  When they asked the athletes to visualize running a race, Mr. Waitley reports they found the same muscles measured a reaction as when the athlete was actually running the race.  Pretty powerful.

I have my own personal stories about how my online business growth has benefited from these techniques that some find controversial or just plain weird.  I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below.  Or maybe you’re in the camp that thinks this is a bunch of hogwash.  I’d love to hear your thoughts too!

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids, ages 3, 5 and 7. She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years. Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

Jennifer credits the turn-around in her online business to Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan, the perfect tool for planning a successful life. Here’s your chance to be inspired and guided daily by the world’s greatest business philosopher. Create your future with Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan and start improving your life and your business today!

Earlier this week, my friend Norma Doiron shared this with me:

“Every one of us is either a plus or a minus in people’s lives,” says John C. Maxwell. The positive people usually know it — wake up each day and consider, “Who can I add value to today? It’s an intentional lifestyle…”

And it got me thinking about how easy it really is to make a difference in other people’s lives.

IF you live intentionally.

With most things in life, we get feedback.  And we’re usually motivated by some external outcome.

We publish a newsletter for our clients because they will read it, benefit from it, and do business with us.  We fix dinner because we’ll hear about (and potentially feel bad) if we don’t.  We excel at work so that we’ll get a promotion or a raise.   And so on.

To make a difference in someone’s life requires intentionality because it often comes without much, or any, feedback.

Let me share a story with you.

A couple of weeks ago I was at the baseball game with my kids, who are 3, 4, and 7 years old.  My boys (3 and 4) were anxious to see the fireworks, a St. Louis Cardinals’ tradition when a player hits a home run.  My 3-year-old, Justin, had asked the man sitting in front of us where the fireworks were before the game even began.

When the first home run came, of course the crowd came to its feet.  I lifted Justin up in the air so he could clearly see what he came for.

When the next home run came, we had just returned with food.  My hands were full of nachos and ice cream as everyone around us stood up.  The man in front of us, who was on a “guys’ night out” with three of his friends, had been tolerant and friendly to my overly social little ones.

Seeing my predicament, he lifted Justin up high so that he could again experience the colorful night sky.

The experience lasted less than 60 seconds.  But no less than a dozen times since then, Justin had told me about how “that man lifted me up in the sky.”  His memory of that small gesture is so vivid and important to him.

I have some regret that I’ll never be able to share with this stranger how he was able to make a difference to my 3-year-old that night.

And so too can YOU make a difference . . .

The sparkle in Justin’s eyes when he tells me about the man makes me think about times when a stranger smiled at me at just the right time, or a friend extended a helping hand just when I needed it most.  Even among friends and family, these small gestures go unnoticed or at least unrecognized.

There’s generally no external reward for small and often random acts of kindness.  Which is why it requires an intentional practice.

Always striving to be a “plus” to everyone you encounter can make someone’s day.  It can help someone change her life if done consistently.  It can establish you as someone people just feel good being around.

The benefits to the other person are clear.  And while such service to others is motivation enough to work to make a difference, you will find that the benefits to your personal life as well as your business make it worth the small effort.

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids, ages 3, 4 and 7. She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years. Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this blog post, but I’ve gotta tell you – this one is really for me. It probably belongs more appropriately in my private journal than in a public forum.

I have a terrible time with focus. In fact, I don’t even want to focus on one thing. I want to do as many things as humanly possible at once.

I hate to sleep, because it’s the one time when I haven’t figured a way to multitask. Yes, I read my email at the stop lights. Yes, I have a book in every bathroom in the house. Yes, I read Success magazine while I eat.

Now that I’ve gotten my confessions out of the way, I’ll tell you — you will find greater success if you focus on one thing at a time.  If you put your heart and soul and all into it until your one task is 100% complete.

The absolute best teacher on the issue of focus is Thich Nhat Hahn.  I recently finished his book, “The Miracle of Mindfulness.”  One of my greatest take-aways from the book was “when you are washing the dishes, wash the dishes.”

Thich Nhat Hahn beautifully illustrates the how and why of being present in everything you do. No matter how trivial it may seem.

But before I can get to the joy of being fully present when I wash the dishes, I must first learn the basics.

Like how to complete this blog post without getting up to grab a snack, clicking away to my email, trying to listen to a “can’t miss” webinar replay in the background . . .

But why?  Why does focus matter?  Aren’t those who are capable of constant multitasking the most productive, and therefore the ones that find the most success?

No.  In fact, there are (at least) three reasons that focus will bring you more success.  In life, and in business.

First, focus actually saves you time.

Common sense would perhaps dictate that if you can do two things at once you will save time.  What I have found, however, is that focusing on one thing allows you to complete that one project faster. 

It’s like the difference in walking from point A to point B in a straight line, rather than weaving back and forth to your destination.  Each time you turn your attention even for a moment, you have veered off the course and it will take you longer to get to the finish line.

In the worst of all circumstances, you don’t finish your task in one sitting. It’s impossible to then come back and pick it up right where you left off.  It will take you, at the very least, a few minutes to get back to where you left off.  And sometimes, you never really regain your momentum.  And it takes twice as long to finish your project.

So, yes, when you multitask you get two things done.  But chances are you could have accomplished each of them quicker and better if you had tackled them one at a time.

Second, focus makes you feel better.

When you focus on one thing you don’t have to worry so much.  If your only goal for this hour is to respond to all of your email, then you can just do it.  You aren’t worried about trying to answer all the emails, and get your newsletter finished, and update your Facebook page . . .

There’s peace of mind in having one task that can be completed in one block of time.

And, if you are focused, you are going to complete more.  You won’t have four unfinished projects you are juggling.  You’ll have one finished project and a clear picture of the next project that’s in line.

Checking that one thing off of your “to do” list has an unbelievable “feel good” factor.

Third, focus means you reach your goals faster.

Focus allows you to be more organized.  Each success goal you have can be broken down into a series of small steps.  If your goal is to get to the top of the building, focus allows you to walk decisively up one flight of steps.  Which brings you one floor closer to the top.

A lack of focus, on the other hand, is like being on one of those stair-steppers at the gym.  You keep walking up those revolving stairs, yet you get no higher – no closer to your success goal.

With these three benefits in mind, my focus this week is on focus.  I’ll let you know what amazing results I see.

I’d love to hear from you below.  Do you struggle with focus?  If not, I’d love to know how you do it!  If so, let me know how you plan to implement my suggestions so that you can save time, feel better, and find success faster!

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids, ages 3, 4 and 7. She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years. Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan helped me make great changes in my life. I’m doing it again to help regain my focus. Join me and we’ll get on the fast track to success together!

Not every day inspires us to be or feel our best.  To recognize and appreciate the many ways in which we are blessed.

Some days, we need a little help.

Recently, I was at the gas station when I noticed a beautiful little bug on the concrete island around the pumps. Maybe “beautiful” and “bug” don’t go together for you.  But this bug was a nice lime green color and in the shape of a small leaf.

She was flipped over on her back, all of her tiny legs flailing wildly in a futile effort to right herself.

I wondered how long she had endured this struggle as I took my thumb and gently flipped her over.

She resumed her journey, and I imagined a look of relief on her face and a thank you on her lips.

For some reason, I felt really good about my little act of kindness all day.

The next evening, I was at the skating rink for my daughter’s lesson.  My boys were being energetic, to put it nicely.

I was at my wit’s end with them.  On the brink of forgetting all those lessons I try to implement about good parenting.

A woman who I know casually from skating approached me.  “You are such a good mom.  You are so patient with them,” she said.  “I wish I could be more like that.”

I immediately thought – she just flipped me over.

Her comment of course made me feel good, and put things back in perspective for me.  Of course she had no idea what a difference she made in my day.  She inspired me to regain my patience.

Some days you will be the bug.  And some days you’ll do the flipping.

And keep in mind, that while there will be obvious opportunities to “flip” somebody, far more often you will do it unknowingly.

You never know when even the smallest comment might make the biggest difference in someone’s life.  So it’s important to never leave something positive unsaid.

“I like your haircut.”  “That color looks good on you.”  “Your kids are so nice.”  “I enjoyed your last blog post.”

I used to keep small compliments of this nature to myself.  But now I say them.  I go out of my way to recognize positive things and tell people about them.

Certainly, at least, you’ll make the other person feel good with a compliment, or any random act of kindness.  And who knows, you may flip her whole day around.

As a bonus, you’ll also make yourself feel better.  If you are thinking, saying and doing nice things, you’ve got to feel good.  And, you’ll find that others will think, say and do nice things for you in return.

Take a minute and think about what you can do today to inspire someone to have a better day, to get more out of their day, or to more fully recognize life’s blessings.  Then, go put it into action.  And share with me below who you flipped, and how it made you feel.

JENNIFER HERNDON works from home with her kids.  She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial rewards of working from home for over 11 years.  Jennifer’s passion is empowering you to achieve success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

You’ve dealt with people who “woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”  You’ve probably even been one of those people before.

And while it’s an easy explanation for having a bad day, it’s an excuse that needs to be eliminated from your life.

Because really, there is no “wrong side of the bed.”  I know that’s obvious, but once your day starts off wrong, most people are all too eager to write it off as a “bad day” well before it’s even half over.

Isn’t it curious that some days though, everything does go wrong?

You oversleep.  Your kids don’t like their breakfast, can’t find their shoes, dog ate their homework.  You’re late.  Great start.

And of course, today just happens to be the day that everyone on the road is driving especially slow.  You’re low on gas.  Forgot your debit card.  Your lunch date with a potential new client or business partner is cancelled .  Your website’s been hacked.

And on and on.

Of course, the more things go wrong, the easier it becomes to set you off.  Under normal circumstances, being put on hold when you call to ask a question about your cell phone service would be a minor annoyance.  Today, it’s causing you to declare that the entire company is full of incompetents and you’re changing providers immediately.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  And it shouldn’t.  Each day is way too special and full of potential to waste.  And that’s usually what we do — write it off as a bad day and hope for better tomorrow.

Fortunately, you are in control of how your day goes.  And that doesn’t just mean that you can choose to have a good attitude as your world goes to pieces around you.

It means that you can chose to do something good for yourself.  And this will be “day changing” for you.

This may seem obvious or simple, but it’s just not how you usually react to a day when things are going wrong.

Instead of falling into the pattern of a “bad day,” you must stop for a minute and make a conscious decision to have a good day.

Which doesn’t mean you have to win the lottery, take an impromptu vacation to Hawaii, or meet the person of your dreams.

Just like a series of bad little things can make a bad day, a series of good little things can make a good day.

Here are just a few suggestions that anyone can do to interrupt a bad day and turn it around:

* call a friend just to catch up for a minute  (resist the urge to tell her about your bad day!);

* keep a playlist on your MP3 of “happy” songs and take just a minute to listen to one;

* keep a photo album of friends and family that you can look through to regain perspective;

* do something physical – a short walk, a favorite yoga pose, any type of stretch/movement that engages your entire body;

* look – really look – at a piece of your child’s artwork, or a card given to you by someone special;

* spend just a minute with your dog or cat or favorite pet – get some unconditional love!

If you’re thinking these things are just too simple for your crazy life, just give them a try.  Believe me, I understand how “bad” a day can get.

And while I can’t claim to totally understand it, I’ve found that if I keep countering the bad stuff with good stuff, the bad stuff stops coming.  While many days still have a challenge, that’s what keeps us growing.

So go ahead, what do you have to lose?  A bad day!  Just try it.

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids, ages 3, 4 and 6. She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years. Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

Need a clear plan for a good life? Check out Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan and plant the seeds for lasting success today.

The origins of Memorial Day call upon us to remember those military men and women who have lost their lives.  The tradition of the day has become for us to also remember friends and family members who have died.

I enjoy this holiday for at least three reasons.  First — at least the way we’ve come to do it — it’s a celebration.  I much prefer celebrating life rather than mourning the loss.

Second, it signals the “unofficial start of summer.”  And I love summer.  I love any time that signals rebirth, growth, and change.  Summer says all of those things.

Third, it gives us a chance to stop and think about what’s important.  To remember that people and relationships are temporary.  That the time to be present with each other and enjoy the people that are important in our life is NOW.

Since I began on this journey to transfer my offline business success to online business success, Memorial Day causes me to reflect on my business as I do my life.

I never get used to how everything in life seems to parallel business.  For us entrepreneurs anyway.

So here is how the joy of Memorial Day provides you with some positive business messages too.

First, on the choice to celebrate.  Swimming pools and bar-b-que are so ingrained in how we celebrate Memorial Day, that we do it without thinking.

You don’t have family meetings to discuss whether you should spend this Memorial Day crying over the loss of our loved ones, or having a fun-filled party.

You respond the way you’ve been taught.  The way you’ve always done.  And the way that feels good.

You should be so optimistic about your business.

Do you wake up in the morning feeling joyous for all you’ve accomplished in your business — even if it’s nothing more than finally choosing your niche?

Do you start the day excited about all the action you’re taking to make your business the smashing success you’ve long-envisioned?

Or is your typical day more about beating yourself up because you don’t have your autoresponder series loaded?  Or because you’re not even sure how to do this?  Do thoughts of “When and will I ever have a six figure business?” crowd your morning shower?

If so, you need to change this.  Make every day a celebration of your business.  Make your business something happy and positive in your life.

Force yourself to do this for a few weeks and you’ll discover that, just like Memorial Day, you’ll soon be waking up in an obviously celebratory state of mind.

Because that’s how you always wake up.

And that’s not to say you should ignore it when you aren’t taking the action you need to be taking.  But redirect yourself down the right path by rejoicing over the results taking action will give you.  Don’t beat yourself up for being a lazy slob.

You’ll find it much easier to get back on task with the right attitude!

My second thought here goes back to my disdain for New Year’s Resolutions.  But, like it or not, most of us are driven by a reason to start doing things differently.

It’s usually not enough to be inspired by the fact that “today’s a new day!”  (Although I encourage you to get to a place where that simple fact does sufficiently motivate you).

Use summer as a reason to re-inspire yourself.  What better time to start doing all of those things you were saving for “someday.”

The leaves are reappearing on the trees, flowers are blooming, kids are out of school, shorts are out of storage boxes. . .

Change is in the air.

What better excuse to change yourself is there?  Remember, nothing is going to change for you until you change.

Identify what’s holding you back from building the business you want and change it.

Third, it’s essential to balance business with your personal life.  As entrepreneurs we often forget this.

But it will improve your business.  I promise.

I know you probably have a day job.  So, if you’re going to make this “internet thing” a reality, how will you squeeze in much quality family time when building your business takes every spare moment you have?

Just do it.  Seriously.  Whether that means sleeping less, taking longer to build your business . . . whatever.

As you think about the importance of those people in your life today, and those people who have left your life, remember that each day is precious.  And time is something you can never get back.

Think of your family time as time spent working on your business.  The experiences you have, and lessons you learn, help you grow as a person.  That’s crucial to the growth of your business.

These experiences will also give you great content for your business.  Because truly, business always mirrors life.

Enjoy your day!

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids.  She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years.  Jennifer’s price levitra passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

Want to know what finally turned things around for me?  Daily action.  Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan is the perfect place to start.  Do it today!

I should be home right now.  Having snuggled my precious babies to sleep.  Doing laundry or some other ever-present household task.

But as 10:30 approaches, I sit in the airport, gazing  wishfully at the 5:30 departure time that still displays at my gate.

Ugh.

Being a strong believer in never wasting a moment, and in seeing the lesson in everything, I share with you the 5 things I’ve learned in the last 5 hours.

Besides, what else do I have to do right now. . .

First (in no particular order), it’s easier to just be nice.  Your attitude is one of the few things you have complete control over.  No matter what the circumstances, you can always choose to be nice.

Every order amoxil flight in this terminal is at least on a 3 hour delay.  Tensions are running high.  As I sat down to eat dinner in a packed restaurant at 8:30, I was greeted by a particularly friendly waitress.  We exchanged sentiments about the long day.

I noticed that some of the other tables, who were short or unfriendly, didn’t receive the same smiling attention I did.  I also noticed this as I observed people interacting with the gate agents.

Without a doubt, I was in a much happier place than those who chose the grumpy route.  And more importantly, I helped put others – who were just trying to do their jobs – in a better place.

Being nice has a positive ripple effect throughout the universe.

Second, it really is all about you.  Let go of the judgments people make about you.

I have a deep opposition to panty hose and high heels.  Yet circumstances required me to wear both today.

But after walking the airport in them for an hour (in search of a phone charged and computer cord), the heels had to go.

My initial, “you can’t walk around the airport with no shoes on,” quickly became “why not?”  Finding no good answer, I lost the shoes.

An older woman sharing a beer with her husband smiled buy amoxicillin at me knowingly.  Others, mainly men of course, looked at me like “you can’t walk around the airport with no shoes on.”  I gave them a “why not?” look back.

My whole body feels better because I chose not to care what judgment anyone else passed.

Third, adversity does bring us together.

As our much-anticipated pilot just arrived, everyone clapped for him.

I witnessed complete strangers who had found amazing levitra cost common ground and bonded over the last few hours.  There’s buy Amoxil online talk of family, vacations, and work.

People smiled, laughed, and wished each other well as we (hopefully) prepare to board the plane.

Fourth, someone always has it worse than you.

I slept for 2 hours last night.  I’ve been up for about 19 hours as I write.  I miss my babies.

Whoa is me.

Until, that is, I hear that amoxil online the ladies next to me each have a 2 hour drive after we deplane.  (My 20 minute drive suddenly doesn’t seem so long!)

And I hear that my flight attendants just arrived from Germany and Japan, yet they still serve us all with a smile.  (My 19 hours suddenly doesn’t seem so long.)

Fifth, pencil does still write on paper.

While my MacBook Pro does have an awesome battery life, not even it could survive this kind of day.

So  I’ve spent 5 hours with no internet connection, and 2 of those hours with no computer at all.

And they’ve been incredibly productive.

With no crucial tweets to post, no Facebook friend requests to attend to, no email to answer . . . I’ve gotten a lot of work done!

I’ve filled up 10 buy Ampicillin notebook pages with blog posts, content ideas, and a draft sales page.

Before the Mac died I read 30 pages in a quality Ebook that I’d been meaning to get to – forever.

Yes, it will take me time to type all this up, but I promise I’ve still been more productive than if I’d had an internet connection and a computer.

So, we’re on the plane  now.  Been sitting here for an hour. . .

Someone is engaging in conversation and laughing.  My seatmate just called him a “wacko” because he’s happy.

Since we’re into our sixth hour of delay, let me add a sixth thing I’ve learned – sometimes buy soma online it’s best to be a “wacko.”

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids.  She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years.  Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

New Year’s resolutions a distant memory?  It’s never to late to realize your goals.  Kick start your daily action plan with Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan.  Start today!

I was listening to a Lisa Nichols audio today.  I just love the sound of her voice.  It moves my soul in the right direction no matter what she’s saying.

But when I heard her say, “today is the first day of the rest of your life,” it made me pause.

How cliche for someone who’s considered a pioneer in the personal growth field.

When’s someone going to pay me seven figures for coming up with such profound advice?!

But as I thought about it, I realized that sometimes the simplest advice is the best.  There’s a reason you’ve heard it over and over again.

It’s true.

The problem is that we hear things — and say things — like “today is the first day of the rest of your life,” without really thinking about it.

“Yeah, yeah, I know that.  Whatever,” is what we think when we hear popular pieces of advice like this.

But, do we live this advice?  Really.  What use is it for us to know these things if we don’t live them.

Knowledge isn’t power.  Applied knowledge is power.

So start acting like today is the first day of the rest of your life.  This attitude will do incredible things for you.

Most of us are pretty hard on ourselves.  I often wake up thinking about what I didn’t accomplish yesterday.  Or beating myself up for things I wish I had done or was doing different.

Then I have to quickly jump into meditation/affirmation mode so I don’t start the day off mentally wrong.

But tomorrow, the first thought I’m going to wake up with is “Great! Today is the first day of the rest of my life!”

You may be thinking, “what difference will this make?”

It will make two differences for you, at least.

First, it will free you from your past.

You’re no longer stuck with negative mental talk — “I’m always late.  I’m never patient enough with my kids. I don’t eat right. . . ”

Because today is a clean slate.  It’s day one.  A day of renewal.  A fresh start.  With limitless possibilities.

Second, it will cure your procrastination and your excuses.

No longer will you have to wait for New Year’s Resolutions.  You don’t have to start your new diet next month.  You don’t have to wait until next week to start organizing your life with the new planner you bought.

TODAY is the day.  Today is the beginning of the rest of your life.  You can do it today.

Actually, it gets even better than that.

My best friend struggles with her weight.  If she calls me and says she’s having a bad day on her diet, she just ate two cookies, I say, “that’s okay.”  “In ten minutes, a new hour starts.  There are twelve hours left in the day,” I tell her, “you can still make it a good day.”

The point is, you have a chance to turn things around at any moment in time.  Just decide to do it.

Every day, every hour, every second marks the beginning of the rest of your life.

Try waking up to this mental talk — “Today is the first day of the rest of my life.  I’m going to make it a great life!”  See if your day doesn’t go better.

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids. She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years. Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

No matter how you define success, start your journey today with Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan.

If only I had a dollar for every successful entrepreneur I’ve heard claim, “It’s not about the money.”

It’s about the lifestyle, or the time freedom, or the relationship with their family.

I’ve always had a quarrel with this.  Because it’s the MONEY that allows you to have the lifestyle.  The MONEY that gives you the time freedom.  And, the MONEY that allows you to spend all of your time with your family.

Without the money, you can’t have the lifestyle of a millionaire.  Your time can’t truly be your own if you don’t have the money to free yourself from the 9 to 5 struggle.

So, if it makes you feel better — less materialistic and uncaring and greedy — then call it what you want.  But the bottom line is that it IS about the money, and the “things” — material or otherwise — that the money buys you.  Right?

Well, maybe not.

When I started this blog, in my mind, my success was about money.  I wasn’t content with a 6 figure income.  I was on “the work at home millionaire journey.”  Hence the original name of the blog.

And I remain on a journey.  And a seven figure income working from home will be one eventual result of the journey.

But, if I had achieved seven figures over the past few years, and yet remained the same person that I was when I started, I would be sorely disappointed.

Conversely, although I remain shy of the seven figure yearly income, I have become a “seven figure person.”  And I am thrilled.

Thrilled that I have become more grateful, more compassionate, more patient, more in touch with my relationships.  “More” of a hundred other things that I value.  I have sacrificed monetary profit because I wanted more children.  But what those children have brought me, and made me, is literally priceless.

The real success that I declare today is in realizing the potential within myself.  Realizing that I have the power to become whatever person I want to become.

Which doesn’t mean that I’ve abandoned the path to a seven figure income.  It’s just not what the journey is about.

Success is about becoming a better person.  And in the process, offering something of value to other people.

The result is a seven figure person, with a seven figure bank account.

And maybe that’s what wealthy entrepreneurs mean when they say “it’s not about the money.”  Maybe they feel more success in who they have become than in what they have physically acquired.

Or maybe they just don’t want to come across as shallow money hungry shysters . . .

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at home mom with three fabulous kids. She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 13 years. Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

No matter how you define success, start your journey today with Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan.

I hear from a lot of the marketing gurus that success is 90% mindset, at least.  The other 10% then, is method.

I used to believe it.  Because, after all, shouldn’t those running successful businesses and making millions of dollars know what it takes?

But as I struggled, my experience made me doubt the accuracy of this 90/10 rule.

I did all of the mindset stuff right.  I made it 90% of my focus.  And I was good.   Affirmations, meditations, visualizations . . . I was a 24/7 living, breathing picture of success.  In my mind.

Reality, however, was different.

The method wasn’t that big of a deal, right?  So I picked a supposed “proven method” and I did it.  Exactly as I was told.  Step-by-step.

I stuck with it.  Invested (or wasted?) lots of money, and time.

I didn’t achieve success.

Some people will say my mindset must have been wrong.  Or that I didn’t give it long enough.

But I struggled in this same spot for nearly a year.  Thinking my day would come.  In fact, knowing my day would come.  100% convinced.

Things really turned around for me when I started doing more and thinking less.  When I did more method and less mindset.

I began to question why the 90/10 rule hadn’t worked for me.  I believed and trusted those who preached it.

And, I’ve come to realize that those who preach it believe it too.  No one was intentionally trying to mislead me.

I think for them, it is 90/10.  Because once you have your “method” down, it is easy.

And then it really becomes about getting your head around the money, scaling your business, becoming not just a person who’s figured out how to do it.  Becoming a person who can successfully grow and sustain a profitable business.

It makes me wonder what comes first.  Do you develop a positive mindset because you are successful?  Or are you successful because you’ve developed a positive mindset?

The answer is neither.  While I have definitively concluded that success is not 90% about mindset, I also know that you can’t achieve success without the proper mindset.

On average, maybe it’s 50/50.  For some people, maybe 60/40 in favor of mindset.  For others, 60/40 in favor of method.

The specific numbers don’t really matter.

The lesson is – don’t just sit around visualizing your success for 2 hours and then working on your website for 15 minutes.

Thinking that the method doesn’t really matter is like saying any map will do when you set off on a trip from LA to New York.

As a disclaimer, I must say that I agree with Jim Rohn’s advice that you should work harder on yourself than you do on your job.

This may seem inconsistent.  But I think Mr. Rohn’s advice suggests something far different than much of the personal growth advice I hear these days.  I’ll explain why later.

JENNIFER HERNDON is a work at  home mom with three fabulous kids.  She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of working at home for over 12 years.  Jennifer’s passion is empowering others to personal and business success through a positive mindset and consistent action.

Don’t put it off until tomorrow.  Start your success journey today with Jim Rohn’s One Year Success Plan.