It's My Life"

In the words of the great poet Jon Bon Jovi...
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life....
Besides being one of my all time favorite songs...the lyrics of this song just makes sense...It is my life...or your life...doesn't it make sense to live while your alive....okay bear with me for a moment...I know you are thinking "what's she smoking this week???"...lol Seriously.. how much of our time do we really spend living....On Monday's we are wishing for Friday and on Friday most of us are dreading Monday already again....we live in a world of schedules, obligations and commitments, many of which have absolutely nothing to do with living our life, our dream and our purpose....when was the last time that you took a time out to do something crazy, wild , fun and absolutely for yourself?? If you are like me it has been awhile...what was it that you liked to do as a kid? What gets your heart pumping and puts a smile on your face?
If you knew this was your very last day on earth what would you do? I am sure the obvious answer would be to spend it with your family but what else would you do?
I am not suggesting that you spend each and every day goofing off like a kid and having fun...that won't pay the bils...lol...but I am suggesting that you give yourself a break...a time out of sorts...what I have found when I do this I have a renewed energy to handle all the necessary things I have to do... even more than that I look forward to them...By giving yourself a "time out" it will allow your "time in" to be more productive....there is a new trend that I love and it is a stay cation...many families are doing it for economical reasons but I think it is great for even more reasons...Many of us spend so much time and money in making our homes a nice place to live but when we have the opportunity to take some time off and enjoy it...we bolt and head for the hills...or the beach...or the theme park or just about anywhere besides the place we have worked so hard to make nice....this time of year especially we would rather fill up the tank with high priced gas, jump on the busy interstate and head for a crowded place and spend tons of money...don't get me wrong I like trips as much or more than the next person but when I return many times I feel like I need another vacation....I am not suggesting you cancel your summer trip but maybe you could have a one day stay cation in your home...just a thought....do something fun, unexpected, surprise yourself, reward yourself, take a quick time out and then get back to work.....remember...
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life.

Happy St Patricks Day...almost
Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted. Instead of me talking to you all tonight I have copied and pasted a blog from an incredible speaker, motivator and person...Darren Hardy.
I read this as part of his 10 years to you best life study I have been doing and he is right on. There really is no need for me to say anymore other than I hope you get something out of this that you can use and apply to your life:)



The Irish aren’t the only ones who have the lucky charm.
Do you think you are lucky—or unlucky? Your luck lies in whether you believe you are or not. You have to believe in luck to see it, and to realize it.

When I met Richard Branson, I asked if he felt luck played a part in his success. He answered, “Yes, of course, we are all lucky. If you live in a free society, you are lucky. Luck surrounds us every day; we are constantly having lucky things happen to us, whether you recognize it or not. I have not been any more lucky or unlucky than anyone else. The difference is when luck came my way, I took advantage of it.”

“I have not been any more lucky or unlucky than anyone else. The difference is when luck came my way, I took advantage of it.” —Richard Branson

Ah, there it is… told to you straight by Sir Richard.

The old adage we hear too often, “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation,” isn’t enough. I think there are two other critical components to “getting lucky.”

The (Complete) Formula for Getting Lucky: Preparation (personal growth) + Attitude (belief/mindset) + Opportunity (luck) + Action (doing something about it) = Getting Lucky

Preparation: You must constantly improve and prepare yourself—improve your skills, knowledge, expertise, relationships and resources—so that when luck strikes, you have the wherewithal to take advantage of it.

Attitude: This is where luck evades most people. As Sir Richard says, lucky things happen to all of us all the time, but that isn’t true unless you orient yourself to see situations, conversations and circumstances as fortuitous. As with most things in life, it begins with a mindset or an attitude. You cannot see what you don’t look for, and you cannot look for what you don’t believe in.

Opportunity: You can make your own luck, but the luck we are discussing here is those things you don’t plan for, or happened even better, faster or differently than expected. In this stage of the formula, it’s best not to force luck. Just let what happens happen, what shows up show up… let luck come to you. And it will—it does every day.

Action: This is your part of the deal. With the universe, God, the Lucky Charms leprechaun, whomever or whatever you associate delivering the luck just presented to you, it is now your job to act on it. This is what will separate the Richard Bransons from the Joseph Wallingtons. Who is Joseph Wallington? Exactly, you’ve never heard of him. That’s because he didn’t do anything about all the equally lucky things that happened to him.

Where have the good times gone????

"Where have the good times gone"? As that question rolls off my tongue, the answer to the question rolls off even faster..."THEY ARE BACK!"
I don't know about all of you but I haven't felt like much fun lately...not sure if is the grey sky above my head or the grey matter between my ears but something has been getting me down and now it's time to get it back up. My new Mantra, theme and daily battle cry now is to "just add fun". Yes we all need to continue to work but if you are like me your brain is already programmed to do that. It seems that almost automatically without fail or end in site, work is all that I do. Work is all I think about, even when I am not working I am thinking about working. What I have been missing is the fun. I somehow have forgot how much fun my work can be. While others seem to be trapped in a predictable everyday existence my day is full of adventure. These pictures I have posted here are just a small reminder of how much fun we can have together. I feel lucky and blessed everyday to be able to do what I do In my job .I never know who will walk through my door or who's door I will walk through. everyday I am guaranteed it will be different from the day before. Everyday I have the opportunity to meet people, influence people, learn from people and by my own actions determine how much money I will make now and in the future. I just don't know if it gets any better than this. I remind myself that my worst day here has been better than my best day anywhere else.
So how do we have fun again... Well for me I am going to stop focusing on things I cannot change. I will stop directing all of my energy to the destination and I will enjoy the journey. I have read the "Good Book" and I understand that none of us will get out of here alive so we may as well enjoy each day that we are here. In life there is birth and there is death but the true living is what you do everyday in between. Let's face it whether we work here or somewhere else, the fact is most of us must work doing something...we may as well have fun along the way...tomorrow remember..."just add fun"!!!!!!!.......(I had to sneak one pic of my three beautiful grandsons in here...I am "just having fun")

Goose or the Golden Egg???

One of the most tragic fables I remember reading as a child was the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg.
I can remember feeling sad that people would be so greedy they would kill the poor goose just to get more eggs...I didn't really understand then, sometimes human nature means we always want more. Don't hear me wrong, I believe wanting more is great as longs as it is in the "right" spirit and you are willing to do the work the "right " way in order to get it.
I have always said I would rather have the goose that may lay an occasional golden egg than a basket full of golden eggs. You would eventually run through all of the eggs in the basket but if you had the goose you would always have the hope of it laying one more egg.
How can we relate this to our business? We can think of our self as the goose. With the right nourishment(training), the right conditions(activity) and the right inner peace(attitude) we have the ability to lay gold every day.
I was speaking to a good friend of mine last night that is an aflac associate in Brandon Fl. I recruited her from a church group we were both in about 5 years ago. She and her husband owned a Lawn Care business at the time and neither of them had ever been in sales. Like many of you, I saw in her the characteristics I knew could make her successful here at aflac. Fast forward to now she and her husband are both successful with aflac. This year alone they have opened and validated over 20 new accounts. I asked her last night how she did it and she laughed...She said you wouldn't believe how many people have called this year to ask us that...She said from the very beginning when I recruited her until now she didn't know much about sales, working with large account or working with brokers...what she did know was how to work, how to walk and how to talk...She said that is all her team does every day. They work, walk and talk aflac and concentrate on small businesses. she loves small business because you can walk right in a speak with the decision maker. She said where most people are calling on 15 man groups and higher they are calling on the 3-15 person accounts...They pick an area and pull the list from reference USA or sales genie and call on every account in that area...if they have aflac they ask for the name of the contact next door and try and get a possible referral.
I am so proud that I have had a small hand in her career...I knew when I hired her all those years ago she was the "goose"
I believe you are too...Bubba has a new saying this year..."Win and move on". If you have laid a golden egg lately...celebrate the win, move on and lay another one. Remember you are the "goose" so how many golden eggs will you lay this week?
Good luck and God bless!

The "Power" of a TEAM!!!!

Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the heights of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it. ~Brian Tracy

The above quote is so very true especially within our organization...In our world.."no one goes it alone"...
When I look at our company, state, our region, and our districts, its like a great race...let's keep in mind this race is not a sprint to the finish line it is like a marathon that last a lifetime. In this race your endurance and momentum keeps building as you keep pushing forward toward your dreams and your goals.
In this lifetime marathon there are no single winners and there are certainly no losers. We get up every morning and begin our tradition of training, conditioning and execution of our skills that move us closer and closer to victory. Sometimes we prevail and sometimes we fail but no matter what we can look to our right, look to our left, look up ahead and look behind knowing all the time that we are not in this alone. Never, ever alone. In this business there are so many peaks and valleys that it is crucial we have each other to pick us up when we stumble and celebrate with us when we win.
Below are 13 characteristics of a team...look at the list and internalize the ones you agree our team posses and think about what you can do to make our team better..Now it is human nature to look to someone else to fix things and to make them better, but tonight... I am challenging you...If this is your team...what will you do to make it better???
Characteristics of an Effective Team
1. The team members share a sense of purpose and common goals, and each team member is willing to work to achieve these goals.
2. The team is aware of and interested in its own processes and examines norms operating within the team.
3. The team identifies its own resources and uses them, depending on its needs. The team willingly accepts the influence and leadership of the members whose resources are relevant to the immediate task.
4. The team members continually listen to and clarify what is being said and show interest in others thoughts and feelings.
5. Differences of opinion are encouraged and freely expressed. The team does not demand narrow conformity or adherence to formats that inhibit freedom of movement and expression.
6. The team is willing to identify conflict and focus on it until it is resolved or managed in a way that does not reduce the effectiveness of those involved.
7. The team focuses on problem solving rather than allowing by interpersonal issues or competitive struggles to drain the team’s energy.
8. Roles are balanced and shared to facilitate both the accomplishment of tasks and feelings of team cohesion and morale.
9. To encourage risk taking and creativity, mistakes are treated as sources of learning rather than reasons for punishment.
10. The team is responsive to the changing needs of its members and to the external environment to which it is related.
11. Team members are committed to periodically evaluate the team’s performance.
12. The members identify with the team and consider it a source of both professional and personal growth.
13. Developing a climate of trust is recognized as the crucial element for facilitating all the above characteristics.
I love our team and that is the "real" reason I do what I do everyday. There is no amount of money, responsibility or recognition that gives me more personal satisfaction as I get from knowing we are truly a "Team".
Good night Team Epic and God Bless:)

Are You Managing Time or is Time Managing You??

We are now more than 30 days into the new year...How are you doing? Are you finding that you are managing your time effectively or is time managing you? One true way to tell is your frustration level.. At the end of your day, do you feel like you are getting your plans accomplished, do you feel that the day was productive or do you feel like you are in a constant tug a war with your schedule, your list, your obligations, your job, your family and even yourself??? That question at first may seem a little extreme, but in reality we all get caught up in the small seemingly insignificant unplanned task that come like thieves in the night (except they come in the middle of the day) to steal our time and more importantly our joy. They swoop in and suck the life blood out of our day....Now I have to admit one of my guilty pleasures is watching what I call bubble head boob tube television shows where I pretty much zone out and escape from my jammed packed deliriously busy day. One of the shows I enjoy watching is the Vampire Diaries...I know I shouldn't but I do...It's so funny to me that most of the youth and many adults like me are enamoured by these fictional creatures whose necessity for survival is to hunt, stalk and suck the blood out of their prey.... now bear with me here I do have a point...lol
This whole vampire phenomenon makes me think about a poster I have in my office that says "no energy vampires allowed". Ha! That is so much easier said than done. I believe the author who wrote that was talking about people who steal your energy. What I find that is equally frustration and that steals my joy is when I let an avoidable unimportant task be an "energy vampire" throughout my day...So what can we do???
STOP!!!!! Stop letting people and things impose their agenda into your already planned day. I do understand that you have to give yourself wiggle room but come on...when you have a planned schedule stick to it. Prioritize your task...Do First Things F..irst. Sounds easy enough but it is surprising how many times I used to find myself push aside a task or job that I absolutely knew that I must get done. I knew I had a problem and I knew I had to do something about it.Do you struggle with this too??? If so I will share what has helped me in this area but I warn you it is an ongoing fluid process.You will begin recognizing the signs and setting boundaries in business and in your personal life so you can manage your time more effectively. Some experts say work while you work, be with family when you are home and play while you are playing.
I challenge each of you to do what I did last year.. Commit to keeping a two week log and journal everything you do all day long.. now don't zone out on me just yet...yes this is difficult but it was one of the most revealing exercises I have ever done. It will amaze you all of the things you spend your time doing everyday. For me after a few days I began to see patterns in my day...I began to understand what time of day that I felt the best and the times I felt most productive. It was very telling. After the first week of keeping the journal and comparing what I actually did to my calendar of what I was supposed to do, I realized I needed to change some things. I realized that my life was not in very good balance.
That is why it is so important to journal from the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night. Time Management Is Not Just For Business...it is about family, spirituality and recreation also. Think of your life like a big wheel...then divide your wheel into quadrants...In mine there is spiritual, family, work and recreation. You decide what's in yours. Then determine how much time you devote to each area of your life. For me I realized that my wheel was way out of whack....in fact if my wheel was rolling down the road it would have been a very bumpy ride...lol
I could talk all night on this subject but in respect to managing my time better I am about to shut up...In this area there is so much to learn and it is an ongoing challenge for us all. I will check back in with you in two weeks to see how you are doing...Remember the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem...if you struggle with this..First admit it ,then move into action.
Get a journal and beginning tomorrow, start recording your activity and how much time you spend doing it. I promise it will reveal areas you can adjust...Good luck and God Bless:)

Are you getting in your own way???

There are not a lot of things I claim to be an expert about but getting in my own way is an area that I have been all too familiar with in my life. I would like to be able preface this post tonight by saying that I am completely reformed and it never ever happens anymore, but I would be lying and I made a commitment to never lie to my peepes:) When people are put in a position of leadership one of the biggest mistake I think they make is not sharing the struggles, failures and pitfalls they have discovered on their way up the ladder. They get into the position and suddenly feel they have to at least appear perfect,unflawed, absolutely put together and completely without struggles. Fortunately for you all I am not that kind of person...lol On the contrary, sometimes I wonder if I show who I really am a little too much? Do I get too personal and reveal too much about myself? Maybe...but I am who am and I don't know how to be any other way.
I feel that I have done so much right in my career and yes that is important but sometimes sharing what you've done wrong and what you have learned from it will help people more than anything. The way I look at it if you do enough right it will shine through and it won't be necessary to talk about it at all...so here goes...I will share 3 failures, struggles and pitfalls I have discovered along the way and what I learned from each of them.
#1 Right Person...Wrong Attitude...let's face it. We are all human. Occasionally we all get a little down and second guess our self, our plans, our careers, our choices and just about everything one can imagine. That's not the struggle I am speaking of here. I am speaking to a chronic illness of the soul...bad attitude. My bad attitude several years ago almost robbed me of my career long before I even got off the ground. Looking back I don't know how anyone wanted to be around me. Don't get me wrong I had a laundry list of reasons my attitude was bad... all my friends were single and in college or recently graduated and I was a struggling young mother, the people who were hired at the same time as me lived closer to my DSC than I did and got way more attention and help than me, I lived in a rural community with not many businesses to call on, I didn't have accounts like the veteran agents to go to and it was so hard to open new accounts, people said they couldn't afford aflac or business owner didn't take me serious....my list could go on and on and on...sound familiar??? Funny it is the same excuses I still hear 13 years later. The difference now is I am not the one saying it. Now I am on the other side of that desk remembering just how I felt all those years ago. When I say I have been where you are, I have. When I say I know how you feel, I do and when I say it gets better, I promise it does...It gets much better but it all starts with you. Actually with a small part of you. It starts in space that lies between your ears. Before you actually have a great attitude you have to consciously decide that you are going to have a great attitude. You are the only one that can make that decision. I encourage you today, right now, look at your watch and decide from this moment on, the one absolute thing that you can control in your life is your attitude. Say it out loud right now. "I WILL HAVE A GREAT ATTITUDE AND NOTHING CAN STOP ME"...doesn't that feel better:)
#2 Commitment and Follow Through...This is a big one...The true definition of commitment is staying committed long after the feeling in which you first committed has passed. It is easy to make commitments, to say yes, to make new goals and plans but what about when things get a little rocky? How hard is it to stay the course when the course ain't so easy to stay on? It is hard but that's what you do when you truly believe in something enough to commit. It is my theory that many people say they commit but do so without very much though and surly without the belief and faith necessary to stay the course. In my own career I have fallen guilty to giving up before the glory...allow me to explain. I would do really well for a little while and when things started going a little wrong I would begin looking for something else. Fortunately I had enough belief and faith in this company that I never looked to leave the company but what I did do was look to change districts, regions or territories. You see when I started with AFLAC Florida was all on state. Actually I lived 4 hours away from my DSC and my region. There weren't really territories and as long as I stayed in Florida. I could pretty much transfer and work in any region...boy I did. Got mad at one...that's okay I transferred to another. By the time I had been with AFLAC for 5 years I had worked in 5 regions. That means every year I started over...sound crazy? it was crazy. I convinced myself and everyone around me that I was moving to a better opportunity and it was a step up. Ultimately it almost caused me to step right out of the business. It wasn't until I moved to this area that I actually truly committed to my career. I made a promise to myself that I would give it a min of 5 years no matter what. Believe me there have been things this past 5 years that it would have been so much easier to just walk away and start over somewhere else but I stayed true to my commitment. Now I feel like I truly have a home, a team that I love and a true aflac family around me. So my lesson # 2 is "stay committed" "don't give up before the glory". Right now take out a piece of paper and write down 1 thing that you will commit to for the next 60 days.
#3 "Let Go" and for me "let God"....The absolute hardest thing for me in this life is to give up control...there I finally admit it in writing...I AM A CONTROL FREAK!..as if you all didn't know that already..lol Remember in the beginning of this post I said I wish I could say that I am completely reformed, that I didn't struggle anymore, well if I had left this one off the list I may have been able to say that but this is my ongoing struggle...."letting go isn't just hard, it's necessary". I give myself credit for marked improvement in this area but it is a daily challenge for me. I don't know about you but I actually think if I try to control the situation and worry enough about it, I may actually be able to change it. The truth is sometimes not matter how great your attitude, not matter how solid your commitment things still may not go the way you want them to go. You won't always get the promotion, you want always get the account, you want always get the response from others that you desire...people absolutely won't always do what you want them to do, even when what you want for them to do is best...what can you do?...you can let yourself go crazy or you can let go... For me I say "let go and let God" and that is because the only way I find the strength to do this is through my faith...but that is me. Whatever works for you I encourage you to learn how to let it go....I love the illustration if you have a handful of sand and you hold it with an open hand you actually will lose very little of the sand but if you take the same handful of sand and close your fist and grip real tight, most of the sand will slip through your fingers.
Isn't it ironic the more we try and control sometime the more we actually lose control. My 3rd and final lesson for the night..."let it go!!!" take a small piece of paper and write down one thing you will sop tyring to control...then go to the fireplace, sink or garbage can, take a lighter and set that piece of paper on fire...."let it go!"... make sure you have water or a fire extinguisher nearby,please don't burn the house down in the process...lol..seriously "let it go"!
There you have it...my top struggles, failure and pitfalls that I have learned along the way.
Good Night and God Bless you all:)