When money stops becoming important!

This past weekend, we led our "Overcoming Call Reluctance" workshop in Richmond, Virginia to over 65 pumped up, outrageous Mary Kay Directors & Consultants.  Their energy was contagious and we came home more excited about this training than ever before. 

At the end of the training, this beautiful young woman walked up to me and said, "I just have to tell you, you changed my life today."  While money is always a driving factor for a business owner, I can tell you that when you hear something like this, the money becomes secondary to the difference you are making in people's lives!

To share her enthusiasm with you, she was willing to be videotaped!  Here she is...

You've got a minute to win it!

Last weekend, we camped with some friends in the Catskill Mountains.  While we usually have no problem filling up 2 days with swimming, eating, hiking, and euchre, we decided this year to put on a freindly competition like the TV show "Minute to Win It."  Here are some pictures from our event:

This challenge was where you had to roll an egg to the edges of a tray to pick up 3 stickers.  No one successfully completed this challenge!

This one was easy - blow a pingpong ball from one cup of water to another.  Next time, the cups are going further apart!

This seemed to be a familiar one for many of the guys - flip a cup onto a beer bottle!

This challenge provided us with the funniest pictures.  You needed to get a slinky to

stay on your forehead.  Not easy, as you'll see!

One of my favorite shots!

 

What's cute about this one is look at the next picture. 

That's John's wife and daughters watching daddy!

Jordan, Jacylyn, and Jade (the Big Sister)

I almost got it!

Flip a pingpong ball from a towel into a milk crate.

Not as easy as it looks!

This one you had to bounce pingpong balls out of a kleenex box that is

taped to your behind.  How you get them out is up to you.  (Perhaps here is where I should

post some video).

Blow a cherry so that it swings back into your mouth.  This

one's fun just for the pictures!

Last time's the charm?

Well this will be my last trip to Texas for awhile.  Three times in one summer is enough!  Chris and I do have a trip to Houston in January for business, so maybe we'll swing by Ft. Worth then.  Besides the kids will be here in September and December, so I will get my "fix".  Here's some pictures from last week's trip!

I had bought these Asian outfits for the girls.  They had a great time dressing up!

One of the few pictures where they stopped moving for a minute.

 

What is it about boys and wrestling?

Kai looks sleepy here.  Don't know why - he just slept 9 hours!

Trina and Mika were putting on a play!

Money shot!

Once we were in Texas...

How could we not go see the kids while we were there.  So Chris and I took a day after the seminar to visit my nephew's kids in Ft. Worth.  Is it just me or do they just keep getting cuter???

Look at my tan!

Ben in action (can never get him to pose for a picture!)

Mika dreaming about all the things Aunt Nancy might buy her.

Trina needs to work on being more expressive.  ;-)

Love, love this picture. They were singing "Be Our Guest" from Beauty & The Beast. 

(does it get any cuter than this?)

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Mary Kay ranked above Oprah?

At the Mary Kay Seminar last week, we learned more about the amazing Mary Kay Ash.  Whether or not you are ever in MK or buy MK products, Mary Kay was an inspirational business leader that everyone could learn from.  She has the distinction of creating more women millionaires than any other business leader, and her legacy lives on long after she is gone.  The whole seminar was impressive as we joined 8,000+ in Dallas last week.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

The Mary Kay Corporate Headquarters

One of my favorite quotes from Mary Kay

The child of a MK employee created this poster.  Love that they knew confidence and hard work come first!

Congratulations to Michele, Victoria, Gail, Joann, and Shelley.  Thanks Ladies!!

Chris and I on the 69th floor of the Bank of America Building. 

Chris, Barb and myself doing the "Fairy Bump."  Guess you had to be there.

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Texas in July!

There are only two reasons to head to Texas in July (my opinion).  One, the Mary Kay National Convention (yes, I will be attending).  And two, to see my nieces and nephews.  Otherwise, in the summer months, New York is a much cooler place to be.

But I did go visit the kids and I had wonderful opportunities to practice being present.  When I had all four kids at one time, (Ben 10, Trina 8, Mika 3, Kai 1) there is a lot to handle.  And sometimes, I can get so busy cleaning, organizing, managing, that I forget why I'm there  - to ENJOY the kids.

Plus, Baby Kai (our nickname for him since birth!) has just started having temper tantrums.  This is a great opportunity to not get caught up in the drama, but remain cool, calm and collected.  If you can stay present when a little one is flailing about on the floor, it's actually quite amusing. 

He's suddenly realized, he is his own little being who wants to stick his fingers in the outlet.  Now this lady, who he usually really likes, is telling him "no" in a very stern voice.  He's not crazy about being thwarted so, on the floor he goes. 

Thankfully, the tantrums are short lived.  I give him about 20 seconds to vent, then I pick him up, reassure him that he is okay, then reaffirm that he cannot touch the outlets. 

Thank goodness he's so cute! 

Baby Kai - before the storm!  ;-)

How to keep four kids occupied?  Snacks and the Goofy Movie!

Trina looking so grown up!

I asked Mika what she would look like if she saw Chris.  Her face says it all!

Someone told me these carts were for luggage.  Um, I disagree!

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Viva la Montreal!

This past weekend, we spent some time in Montreal Quebec with new friends. It was initially hard to let go of our 4th of July picnic ritual with "old" friends but we were looking for something different.

And different we found!

I had volunteered with the husband (Claude) a couple of years ago at a personal development training.  I had briefly met his wife (Chantal) but didn't know her well.  Chris had never met either of them.  So we were taking a chance when I called up and asked them if they wanted visitors for the weekend.

Knowing Claude's personality, I was pretty sure he would welcome guests - and I was right.  They opened their home and we had a blast.  While we found out we had so much in common (business owners, like-minded, self development focused, etc.), there were some things they do as activities that we decided to try.

Mini-bowling - Chris is a great bowler and I have some fun but we had never tried anything like mini-bowling.  The pins are half-size and the ball is about the size of a bocce ball with no holes for your fingers.  When you bowl, you palm the ball and get into a low crouch - like in the sport curling - and release the ball.  It was challenging (do 60 lunges and you'll see) and a lot of fun trying something new.

Biking - okay, so this wasn't brand new but it had been a long time since either Chris or I had ridden a bike.  Thankfully, it's true - you don't forget.  Although our legs were already tired from bowling, we headed down to the St. Lawrence River for some sightseeing.

Montreal Jazz Festival - Rochester has a great Jazz Festival but Montreal's was about 5 times the size of ours.  They had three main stages all facing different directions with shows simultaneously.  It was great energy, great music, and lots of walking on our already sore legs.

Mini-trampoline - Claude and Chantal are in great shape (if you haven't figured that out by now) and one of their favorite activities is using their mini-trampoline.  We tried it and it was fun and quickly tiring on our now jello-like legs. 

We got home exhausted but refreshed.  New friends, new activities, and with a new mini-trampoline in our living room!!!

Got the Monday blahs?

As a business owner, sometimes it's difficult to jump up on Monday morning and know exactly what one should be doing to have the most impact.  Other Mondays, there is so much left over from the previous week, it's a challenge to know what to do first. 

This morning, I received an inspriational 3-minute movie that really put any day in perspective.  The statistics may not be uplifting but it should remind us of how often we have opportunities to be of service.  Check it out!

Every Monday Matters

Memorable Memorial Day!

Chris and I decided we wanted to get away for the long weekend.  We were looking for a little romance, adventure and reflection.  Unfortunately, we had waited until the last minute to decide this so most places were booked.  But as luck would have it, Chris called a B&B near Keuka Lake and they had a last minute cancellation.  So off we went!

I myself am not a big fan of B&B's.  It may sound strange but I like the privacy and anonymity of the big hotels.  Years ago when traveling to Maine for work, I stayed in several B&B's.  I felt like I was right on top of the housekeepers and other guests.  I'm not a morning person but if I wanted breakfast - it was usually served around 6 to 7am - which means I had to be up, showered and ready before 7am!  Then I actually had to talk to people because we were all seated around a dining room table together!  

The Wagener Estate is the answer for those like me who don't like B&B's.  The housekeepers Kathy and Joe were helpful but unobtrusive.  The only time we saw them was when they served breakfast (from 8am to 9:30am on the front porch where were seated alone!) or when we went looking for them.

Our room had it's own private entrance and bath (a must!) and deck.  As a matter of fact, by the end of our stay, I was seeking the company of the other guests at breakfast! 

The other highlights of our trip include Wine touring (Dr. Frank's = most delicious, Bully Hill = most fun), hiking six miles on the canalway that joins Seneca and Keuka Lakes, an amazing meal at an unlikely place - the Keuka Restaurant, Main Street, Penn Yan.  The fish fry and macaroni cheese was to die for!!!

All in all we had a great time.  So much so, we've put a deposit down for next year!

This is the Wagener Estate Bed & Breakfast.  The nicest B&B I've ever been to!

This is where we ate breakfast each morning.  We had vegetable frittatas, french toast, peach pancakes.  Kathy is a wonderful cook!!

This is the view of Keuka Lake from Bully Hill Winery. 

Hard lesson to learn

Carl Jung said, "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." 

I never really got this until I started doing "The Work" by Katie Byron.  The Work is four simple questions that we can ask about any situation that is bothering us.

1. Is it true?
2. Is it absolutely true?
3. How do I act or behave when I think this thought?
4. How would I act or who would I be without this thought?

Then she offers two ways to turnaround the painful thought.  The first is the reverse the thought; the second is to apply the thought to "you" instead of "them".  Then ask which is truer.

Let's give this a try.  My frustrating thought lately has been..."the kids won't be okay without me" regarding my nephew and his family moving to Texas.

1. Is this true?  At first glance, yes.  They took the kids away from their home and their extended family to move somewhere they have no support.  I was a great influence in their life.
2. Is this absolutely true?  When I dig deeper, I have to admit that their parents weren't very happy here and if they can be happier in Texas, maybe that's even better for the kids.
3. How do I behave when I think this thought?  I get very emotional when I think about not being there for the kids, and then I am judgmental of my nephew and his choices.
4. How would I act if I couldn't think this thought?  I would know that the kids will be just fine without me, I would be more supportive, I would judge less, be more open.

Then the reverse turn around statement "The kids will be okay without me."  Which is truer.  I do believe that kids are resilient and that I will still be an influence in their life.  So I think the turnaround statement is truer.

Then the other turnaround statement is "I won't be okay without the kids."  Which is truer?  By the complete emotional reaction I'm having to that statement - I can tell you it is more true that my pain is coming from the fact that the kids were such a source of joy in my life - I haven't been proactive about replacing what I'm missing.

Not that the kids can actually be replaced - but the time that I spent with them can be spent doing other things that bring me joy.  I haven't given a lot of thought to that until now.

And that my friends is the work!  If you liked this exercise, I encourage you to get the book "Loving What Is" by Byron Katie. 
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