June 17, 2009
Dedicated to my son, Caleb
Today I woke up basking in the pleasure of a very special memory that shaped my life in two profound ways. It was twenty-two years ago today that my son Caleb was born. Just like it was yesterday, I can still see the serious expression on his furrowed brow as we looked into each others eyes for the very first time. He looked so very wise and with instant recognition I felt as if life had never existed without him. Simultaneously, I was overtaken by the deepest sense of falling in love I had ever felt. (If you're a parent, you know exactly what I'm talking about!).
With the birth of Caleb, my entrepreneurial spirit was ignited. I was a Jr. High School teacher, off for the summer break but by the time I was released from the hospital, I already knew my life's purpose was redefining itself. I had no idea what I was going to do, but one thing I knew for sure, it didn't include putting my baby soul mate into daycare so I could go back to teaching in September.
Thanks to my sister Lisa, I found network marketing, my new career path and passion! Just as with parenting, I had no idea that I had just bought a lifetime pass to a roller coaster ride where the only constant is the ups and downs. And I'll admit, there have been many times over the past twenty-two years where I've wanted quit ( network marketing, not parenting!) and go back to something easier, like a "real" J.O.B. where you clock in and clock out and just forget it at the end of the day.
But it always came back to Caleb, and three years later my daughter Olivia too. Nothing else could give me the ability to provide a superior life style for my family. And I'm not just talking about money; I'm talking about the freedom and flexibility of CHOICE!
The freedom to:
- Work from home around the kids' schedules
- Experience all of the "Firsts" (steps, words, discoveries)
- Volunteer in their classrooms
- Go on field trips
- Go to the park & the beach in the middle of the day
- Take a nap
- Travel
- Set and achieve my own income goals
- Include my family in my work
- Express myself creatively
- Inspire and lead others
- Demonstrate self-motivation and work ethic to my children
So every time I bumped up against a challenge in business like:
- My top producing distributor quits
- My company changes the compensation plan (again)
- The Products are back ordered - orders are all late
- I go through a sponsoring slump that lasts 5 months
- None of my guests show up to the meeting
- My company goes out of business due to poor management
- I start all over again from scratch
- My company gets shut down by the FTC
And many, many, more challenges....
and every time, with every challenge and every completely understandable desire to quit, I go back to my "WHY"...my Caleb & Olivia...I just look into their eyes and I am clear. It's time to dust myself off, pick myself up, take that 10 second commute to my home office and start smiling and dialing with passion and purpose, knowing full well that QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION!!! (Repeat after me: QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION!!!)
So I ask you, what is your WHY? What is that unyielding, underlying driving force, that bigger-than-life purpose and passion, that will pull you back on the UP TRACK of your roller coaster to success? This is a question you must be able to answer with 100% clarity because I can guarantee you, there will be challenges in your business that will cause you to ask (or yell!), "why am I doing this?" The answer needs to be so compelling crystal clear that it shouts back at you twice as loud!
If you're not clear on your "Why" here's a fun exercise to help you uncover it:
Determine your "WHY" Today!
Get A Notebook and make it a nice one that you'll enjoy working in.
This will become your road map to success and will be with you through
the duration of your journey.
Find a nice quiet place without any distractions. Prepare to spend
at least 30 minutes on this exercise. Don't worry about how your
answers sound. Just free flow write. This is fun and can be very
revealing!
- If I didn't have to work for a living what would I love to do?
- If I were
given $10 million dollars (tax free!) what would I do with it? (Of
course you'd pay the bills, but after that) No limits here, write it
ALL down!
- If I just
found out I had six (healthy) months to live, what would I do with the
rest of my life (your "Bucket List")?
Identifying Your "WHY" Helps You Define Your True Purpose In Life!
Now try to determine the essence of these desires. Ask yourself, "if I did this, or had that, what would it bring to me?" These thoughts should reveal to you the lifestyle you want and the type of person you aspire to be.
When you know your purpose, you can put passion behind it. When you
move forward with passion, there's no stopping you and others will be
attracted to follow you! Therein lies the key to success in your
home-based business!
Make a commitment to yourself to pursue your life's purpose and
create the lifestyle you want. Become the person you desire to be. Your
purpose and the passion that flows from it, is what will empower you,
no matter how wild the ride gets! I know, I've been there!
Coming Full Circle, the Best Reward of All!
And here's the best part. At the tender young age of just twenty-two, Caleb is going on his third year as successful entrepreneur working from home too, with a support team in place so he can work ON his expanding business instead of IN it! He too is psychologically unemployable. I guess you can say it's in his genes! Of course that's
the ultimate reward for me, his mom!)
Visit Caleb's web site at www.northbankaudio.com and prepare to be impressed (Mom speaking!)!!!
Happy "Why" Day, Caleb!!!
Love,
Mom :-)
P.S. You can tell Caleb Happy Birthday on Facebook:http://www.northbankaudio.com/facebook or on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/calebscoville
Power Gal (Mom) and Caleb Scoville (Son)