You Are Entirely Up To You, A Journey Worth Taking

 

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I love that quote! Think about it. What does it mean to you? For me, it is so empowering.  It reminds me that anything IS possible in this life we have been blessed with. This  quote says when you travel life’s road you will be given choices. How you look at these choices and react is up to you. This is how I live my life every day. I am 53 and the possabilities are endless .

Think about this. If you have the ability to imagine something in your mind that you want-  and you can see it as a target- then the dream is possible.   What you do next is THAT which will define you. Your next step IS entirely up to you. It is up to you to create a plan to achieve your goals.

And think about your journey. This  road trip will have some twists and turns, but that is what makes a trip fun. No one wants to drive on a straight road for hours with nothing to see! BORING. It IS the twists and turns that make us look forward to what lies ahead .

This road trip may have some detours or roadblocks along the way . No one said this would be easy.  How you react to the  roadblocks – that will be your defining moment.

  • So you can  be “Debby Dreamer” and stare out the window just sight seeing hoping something magical will appear.
  • You can be a “Betty Blamer” and find every reason why you can’t or haven’t reached your final destination.
  • You can be “Negative Nancy” and focus only on the bumps in the road- poor me, nothing goes,my way. It figures there is a road block-nothing is ever easy .

Or you can simply  rise to the occasion.  Make a plan and when you hit a roadblock adjust the journey. Look at the “hiccup ” as an opportunity to see more sights.  The roadblock is just a means for you to  find another way around to your end point . You might have to back track a bit and regain your bearings, but that is how you learn.

If you can realize that every day you make a choice of who you  are going to be and that “You are entirely up to you, ” life’s journey will never be a disappointment.

 

 

Choices

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Deciding to cut the ties from your steady eddy job and venture forward with an unknown future business is brave and frightening all at once. But even more challenging is overcoming the fear of making the right choice.  Fear of failure …Fear of scrutiny from your family and friends…Fear that you are starting  too late . Well it is never too late, you will always meet resistance and naysayers and you could fail. But the real failure is in giving into your fears and not focusing on your dreams.

More and more people are out there working home based businesses and touting their benefits.  We are the champions ! We are the people who dare to do more ! So, how do you choose?

I will tell you how I chose and how many people go about their new journey.

  • Have an open mind and listen to all opportunitues.  Not only will you learn about the company, you will get experience on the do’s and don’ts of a product presentation .
  • Look into the leaders in the company . Who are they ? What is their track record?
  • Look at the numbers. What is the company grossing? How much have they grown? What is the future growth opportunity?
  • Look at the product itself and reviews . Remember there are never going to be perfect reviews . Weigh the good and the bad.
  • Then look at support . Success does not happen overnight . It might look that way but it comes from work and dedication . Will you have the support and tools to succeed?

This is what I did when I joined the Rodan +Fields  team. I had already run my own business for 9 years. I was looking for supplemental and renewable income with a group of really fun people, a product I could stand behind and a means to make more money but share the wealth . I also wanted to keep my overhead low. This works for me!

I can work anywhere from my phone any time and I do not have to have inventory in my home .

Think about what you have a passion for. “You are entirely up to you” – unknown author

To learn more go to my two websites:

Www.aesthetics360.com and clapointe.myrandf.com

You Have Brains in Your Head. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. ” – Dr.Seuss

18684Words to live by from one of my favorite and timeless authors. Dr. Seuss may not have realized how often we all need to be reminded of our endless possibilities. We forget that we steer our ship. We are responsible for the direction we take  because we  are the people who make the choices. Now the choices in front of us may not always be fantastic but we always have a choice.

As someone who has been in business for myself for well over 8 years I know how complex and scary some of the choices are that are put before us as entrepreneurs.

1. Should I bring on a partner or stay solo?

2. Who can I trust? Who should I not trust?

3. Do I need a line of credit or do I get investors?

4. How will I support my family if I lose a client ? To be my own boss or work for someone else?

6. Who’s pitch do I listen to? There are so many.

7. Should I just go back to my corporate life or do I stick it out ?

Choices are boundless.  But that is a great thing. That means no matter what we do we have an opportunity to learn from the last choice and then take another step with our feet in our shoes and choose again!

The key is to embrace the fear of the unknown and know you can steer your ship.  The key us to be open to opportunities so your choices expand. The key is to use the brains in your head combined with imagination and faith and the know future possibilities are endless.

Take a look at some if the most successful people in history. They steered their ship.

Look up President Abraham Lincoln and you will see how many times he failed before being elected president.

Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star in 1919 because his editor said he “lacked imagination.”

Vera Wang failed to make the 1968 U.S. Olympic figure skating team. Then she became the editor at Vogue, but was passed over for the editor in chief position. She began designing wedding gowns at age 40 and has a business worth over 1 billion.

I look forward to watching you steer your ship or joining you in that adventure! Keep me posted! I will do the same!

“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” – unknown

20180111_210137You can live your life watching opportunities pass you by, blaming everyone else and every situation you experience as the reason you have not achieved your dreams. Or, you can learn from experience and accept all that happens as one step closer to achieving your dreams.  I choose the latter.  I control my destiny. That doesn’t mean times have not been tough on this road to being the CEO of me. Of course it has. I would be lying if I told you the last 9 years have been smooth sailing. But what I can tell you is that I have learned to be open to new adventures. I have embraced networking. I assume “no” is a given and I move forward. It will take you sometimes 100 No’s to get one Yes, but when it happens, the feeling of success is so sweet! So if you have dreams of working for yourself then make them a reality. Be prepared to put in the effort because contrary to popular belief success does not happen over night but it does come to those who work every night putting in the effort.

When you are ready to start a new path, I am here to help! Looking forward to partnering in business with you! Cheers!

Christine Lapointe, Co- Founder Aesthetics360,LLC

Independant Consultant Rodan+Fields

Entrepre

Duplication Over Time Looks Like Overnight Success

We become what we do repeatedly. Excellence, therefore is not an act, it is a habit.”
– Aristotle

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Speaking at Johnson & Johnson’s India University for Cataract Surgeons.

The title of this blog is not my own quote. In fact, I have heard versions of it all week from different people,  but it rings true. Success really doesn’t happen overnight. There is work and thought that goes into attaining your vision.

Interestingly while I was working on my plan for my next blog topic my friend sent me a great business building tool today and  the timing could not have been better.

This week I have been focusing my efforts on taking  my business to the next level. I have been working on my two  year growth  plan. How am I going  to work on duplication and excellence? Frankly, these plans can be overwhelming, especially when you are “The boss of you!”

Right on the top of the page was this quote I would like to share.
“We become what we do repeatedly. Excellence, therefore is not an act, it is a habit.”
– Aristotle

There it is. Simple. Practical. Realistic.

So my challenge to you in 2018 is to start using this mantra and think of how you can duplicate your habits in a way that will positively affect your business. Maybe this is setting goals for the number of “reach outs” you send a week for your business. Perhaps it is a long term project plan for a new service you will be offering.  Or maybe it is just taking the good projects you completed in 2017 and finding a way to do those same projects at a higher volume.

Whatever it is…remember….you can succeed. You will succeed. But you will need to work for it. Good luck In 2018!