4/15/2000
At my last unit meeting I sat next to one of my favorite
PL consultants holding light conversation from time to time. One of the
things that she told me was that she is getting tired of the business and
doesn't plan to stay with it much longer. When asked, she told me that
after many years she
feels like she is getting nowhere with it. That tells me two things about
her right away. First, she is burning out and second that she is still
holding on to a glimmer of hope that's fading fast! If I can be of any
help at all, I need to figure what is burning her, and many of us; out to
fast. Then I need to help her discover what changes she can make to burn
at a slower rate so she can love PL once more. Last but not lest, I need
to find the source of her hope and bring her focus back to it. To do this,
let's take a look at the "Consultant Care Tip Card"
Always keep wick trimmed to 1/4"
Is it time to trim your wick? With all the excitement at our meetings and
national conferences, it's easy to let our wick (AKA GOALS) get to long to
fast! Goal setting is a vital part of your business, HOWEVER; unrealistic
goals can lead to sudden death!!!!! Why do goals work? They work by
getting us to work a little harder so that WHEN WE MAKE OUR GOAL, WE FEEL
GOOD ABOUT OURSELVES and life a in general. When we set goals we are not
yet ready for, and then meet them to soon; we quickly fall flat on our
face. On the other hand, when we set them and the we can't meet them, we
feel sad or unhappy because we have failed. Some people can get excited
over goals like " RVP in 3 months"! What's that all about? Lets
face it, if it was that easy we all would be a RVP today! Yet no two of us
are alike. The best goal for me might not be the
best goal for you. Start SMALL and work your way up to bigger and bolder
goals.
Do not place near drafts, fans or air conditioners.
Nothing on earth will burn you out faster than these three things, and
they are as follows.
- Drafts, AKA whiners and complainers!
These people breeze through your meetings and parties from time to
time filling your mind with doubts, fears, and discontent.
- Next you have to look out for the fans!
These people all know what you are doing wrong and just sit and spin
overhead spouting out negative remarks. They mean well, however; they
really don't understand YOU and YOUR problems. They're solutions would
work great in there lives, they just won't work for you!
- That leaves us to deal with the air
conditioners, AKA pity parties. Turn off the air and put the
heater on by booking candle parties not pity parties!
The best way to prevent these three problems from
burning you out is to use a hurricane shade. Your hurricane shade should
be POSITIVE THINKING people that you can call or e-mail. I have SRVP Beth
V. at the base and SRVP Judy S. at the top. The middle is filled with
friends like Jo M., Dory S., Robyn G., Belinda J., and Maxine S. ! With a
shade like that, you'll not have to worry about these problems!!!
Always burn in proper receptacles.
A ball candle in a tealight lamp or a votive in a 3wick holder? That's as
crazy as a consultant that reads the boards and list without reading the
consultant manual and monthly mailings! Even better yet, a consultant that
goes to parties but not meetings. The next time you read a board or list,
look at the questions and ask yourself, "is the answer to that
question in a mailing or our manual?" and you will be in for a big
shock! We all will burn out fast if we don't take the time to know what
were doing! As for meetings, do you arrive at your parties late or leave
early? What about your meetings? Are you a part of your unit and regional
meetings or do you just go and watch them happen? Be an active part of all
your meetings and you will soon see that you get much more out of them
than you give! ( For those of you that are kidding yourselves by thinking
that your region leader has nothing you can do at meetings, e-mail me your
leader's phone number! I have yet to meet a leader that didn't have bags
or boxes to carry in and out and unpack. Not to mention cleaning up or
setting up for meetings. What about fund raising for ACS? It's YOUR UNIT
and YOUR REGION only when YOUR A PART OF IT!)
Keep wick Centered.
Is your wick out of place or is it centered? How organized are you? Do you
make your calls and file your paperwork on time? The less organized you
are the more time you waist burning out looking for things. What about a
strong personal business? Have you booked enough parties yourself to keep
a unit going? Without business of your own, Leadership is out of the
question!
That's it for our consultant care tip card! What actions
can YOU take? Let's work out a basic plain of action that you can
personalize for your own needs.
PLAN OF ACTION!
1. SET REASONABLE GOALS you CAN MEET IN A SHORT TIME!
We all have the same long term goal, be a RVP in a year! What personal
goal can you set and meet today that will improve your business? Book
one new show? Organize my business? Get out and meet new people for
future bookings? If you set a goal of 21up in a
month, you would get discouraged along the way and give up. However, if
you set a goal of a new booking this weekend you know you can make that.
Next set a goal of a new booking today, and meet it! In no time you'll
have that 21up and feel great all along the way! Change your short term
goals often so that you don't get board with the same old thing! After
all, how often can we book a new party if we haven't gone out to meet
new people Set a small daily or weekend goal and meet it! You'll start
to feel better right away.
2. Build a strong personal business! What good would
it do you to sponsor 6 new people If you can't even bonus and get your
unit? A strong personal business is the key to making you money, having
contacts you can sponsor and making your leadership team firm! By for
filling your small goals, your personal business will begin to increase.
3. Go to all your meetings EARLY and plain to stay
LATE if needed. BE a part of your region and unit by taking as active
part in them. By becoming an active part, you begin feeling that you are
a true part of the TEAM, you are much less likely to get discouraged!
You'll find strength in numbers. As you meet your small goals and build
your strong personal business you'll become a part of your meetings as
you start winning challenges and awards!
4. MAKE A CONTACT LIST OF SUPPORT PEOPLE! Make a list
up of all of your friends in the business. When talking with them think
to yourself, " Am I feeling good or better than before I called
them?" in the back of your mind. Fine tune your list to keep only
the people that make you think positive. Keep a list of friends in the
business with you at all times that are a POSITIVE influence! When you
are having a bad day, call as many of them as you need to run the bad
away with positive thoughts! ( I have friends I love dearly in the
business that I love to visit with and have fun with that are NOT on my
list! Why? They are great friends and wonderful people, however they are
not always positive when times are tough!) STAY POSITIVE for others that
may need to call you for a little cheer! By setting and meeting your
goals and building a strong business you will
have many positive thinking friends to talk about your awards and meet
challenges with!
In our business you MUST start at the bottom and work
yourself up. You'll loose a unit you earn fast if your personal business
isn't strong enough to support it. I know I can't sponsor 6 and have the
time to train them in a month or two, so why set myself up to fail? Your
small goals will take you to the top one small challenge at a time. A goal
to book one new party a week other than ones you get at your shows will
over time place you 21up and even more! By setting the goal of sponsoring
and TRAINING one new person every month or two, you'll have a strong unit
in a year.
As for hope you fine it in YOUR dreams! When you stop
dreaming of a better life, you lose your hope to achieve it! Fallow your
dreams and together with PL we can live them out!
If you feel like your burning out, Check and see if
you're burning right!
BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL, Hank
This page last updated July 06, 2005