A few years ago on KUTV I spoke with Brooke and Caitlin about success. Is it achievable? How do you know you have reached it? Is it possible? How do you manage success every day? They were great fun to chat with! Watch the video HERE on KUTV.
Here’s my own story of success…
In July of 2017, I sat at my desk with a successful career as a digital marketer and online speaker/trainer. I had started as an entrepreneur in 2011 as a virtual assistant working with real estate agents. From there my skills and my business had grown into something that I truly enjoyed doing. Digital marketing along with branding, websites, sales funnels, and basically flipping online businesses was as thrilling to me as racing around a race track is for Indy drivers. I had found a bit of success. Yet…
As I sat there at my desk thinking over the last 5 years it hit me! I had basically created a job for myself. I was my boss and my boss didn’t give me any vacation time and if I wasn’t working I wasn’t getting paid. The name of my business was my name and if I wanted to retire… well, let’s just say that wasn’t going to happen.
Was this what success felt like?
This realization made me step back and take a 30,000-foot view of my business and my life. This is something I do in my own business every quarter and something I have all of my clients do as well.
“Success grows with you and you grow with Success!” – Sheila J Davis
It was true that I had worked with and helped thousands of virtual assistants build their businesses through my academy. I found true joy in working with them.
I loved my clients and enjoyed flipping their businesses. Working with them to create a powerful brand, improving or building their websites for increased revenue, showing them how to automate their business, and creating sales funnels that are powerful and effective.
Somehow I felt empty.
Something was missing. It wasn’t just about money, it was about the impact and influence I had on the world. On the women specifically that I felt needed my help to achieve their success.
“If your bucket is empty, and there is a hole at the bottom, it’s time for change.” – Sheila J Davis
I knew something had to change, I just had no idea how fast and how amazing the process would be!
Time For a Mentor!
Over the next two months, I went on a journey to find where my success was and how to reach it. I worked with a brilliant and amazing mentor, Brooks Gibbs. He can tell you that my journey to find what success was to me was painful and incredible at the same time.
What Brooks helped me realize was that my passion to help and serve single women, military wives, and women who found themselves in a situation of, “Oh Crap! Now what?!” was possible!
Thanks to his guidance, patience, and willingness to help me serve my purpose in life I had discovered what success was to me! It was creating a network where women could find trusted resources, build relationships, network with each other, and even where I could create a non-profit to provide even more.
Truth be told, we have only just started and we have a long way to go. There is so much more! I’m thrilled, however, that my journey lead me to where I am today!
I AM STATEMENT
I’ve been thinking that my I Am Statement has changed my life and I want other women to find the same strength I have by creating their own! So, I got a few of my favorite women together and we made a video of all of us reading our statements. I hope you find it inspiring and I hope you create your own or even submit yours for us to showcase on our next I Am Video!
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” – John Rohn
Our first I Am Statement Video
Whether you’re saving for a family vacation or you want to buy your first house or you just want to increase your savings, you’re not alone. It’s more important than ever to have a financial plan in place. For some that may include turning their hobbies into cash. This can be easily done with the right resources and can be a lot of fun; no matter if you’re wanting just a little extra cash or if you want to turn it into a full-time business.
FB LIVE: Turn Hobbies into Cash – Here’s the HOW TO!
KUTV Fresh Living: Top 3 Steps
More and more people are becoming entrepreneurs, especially in Utah. Utah is listed in the number one spot on CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has Utah listed #1 for innovation and entrepreneurship and #2 in high-tech performance in 2017.
With the economy like it is and with so many people staying home more due to COVID-19, many people are spending less and becoming penny pinchers due to lack of income. We are finding that we aren’t able to have as much fun as we wanted five years ago.
There are a lot of very talented women who could turn their skills and/or hobbies into cash or into a real business. It’s not as hard as you think and there are loads of amazing free resources to help when you’re ready.
I quit my day job in 2011 when I found the need to be home with my children due to their health. Now 7 years later I have been providing services for and mentoring and training hundreds of women all around the world on how to start, build and grow their own businesses from home. Many have started virtual assistant businesses, health. life, or fitness coaching businesses, and other businesses as well including small online shops.
The Internet is full of amazing people who are ready and willing to help. However, there are some that just can’t be trusted. More than half of my clients over the last 7 years have told me horror stories of being ripped off by online providers. I myself have been taken advantage of a few times when I didn’t do my research. That’s why I want to help be a resource for women who want to find the right people to work with so I started YES! Women’s Network.
Aren’t sure where to start? Join YES! Women’s Network today for help getting started by meeting women who are already doing what you want to do.
There are a lot of ways you can turn hobbies and skills into cash; and it’s lots easier with trusted resources, free or low-cost training, and inspired connections. The good news is… you’re in the right place!
Here are some ideas to get you thinking about how you could earn some extra cash:
#1 – Crafts
So many women are blessed with the gift of craftiness. Homemade creations are highly sought after personalized gifts. If you are crafty you could turn this into a surefire way to make money selling your goods. Homemade and vintage items are where many shoppers are turning for original creations. Especially if you are already selling your creations at local festivals and farmers’ markets. How many times I find items that I want to be able to buy more of and when I ask the owner if they are online and they say no. This surprises me! If you are crafty be sure to consider not only offline sales but online sales as well. Before you know it, your homemade creations, whatever they may be, could be the latest Internet craze.
#2 – Shopping
Do you like shopping? I’m not a fan of shopping and I avoid it at all costs, but my daughters love to shop. Becoming a personal shopper could save you money and make you money at the same time. There are so many busy men and women who would prefer to hire out their shopping. If you’re a great shopper you could help your clients with everything from making travel arrangements, finding hotels, buying personalized gifts, or even doing personal shopping like for groceries and household items. Personal shoppers could help their clients find clothing, pick up medicines from the pharmacy, or even just running errands. Personal shoppers could charge anywhere from $15 – $20 an hour or 10 to 15% of the total purchase according to paysale.com. Just be sure you don’t shop for yourself while you’re shopping for your client or it would defeat the purpose.
#3 – Baking
Baking is a talent that so many busy men and women are envious of. Who doesn’t love a homemade fresh cookie or loaf of bread? Many entrepreneur friends of mine have said that having a personal chef is at the top of their bucket list. If you have this skill you may want to take advantage of it and share your talents with others while making some cash. I see on Facebook several times a week one of my friends selling her cinnamon rolls. She posts that she is going to make x number of pans, how much she wants for them, when they will be ready, and they sell out every week! The majority of people who don’t have time to bake are willing to pay for it, especially if they can pay online and pick it up on their way home. This could turn into catering small events like baby showers, weddings, family reunions, small office parties, or other gatherings. As long as you’re selling baked goods that don’t spoil (like cream pies, etc.) you don’t need a license to sell at most farmers’ markets, although some do require you meet their standards and guidelines to be accepted [source: mt.gov]. If you stick to one or two items and do them well — bread and muffins, for example — invest in a creative logo and packaging, and set up a plate of samples, your products should sell themselves.
#4 Pet Walking & Care
Do you love pets and just can’t get enough? Why not try doing dog walking and pet care? Instead of spending money to get your own why not have the freedom to care for other people’s pets? Most dog walkers charge between $10 and $18 per walk depending o the location and the number of dogs. Overnight dog sitting can be billed for even more according to Christine Rochelle in her article for aol.com. It’s best to start your business with people who know and trust you. It’s a big responsibility to take care of someone’s pets. Once you have established a small list of clients you could ask them to recommend you to their friends and coworkers.
#5 Organizing and/or Cleaning
“I would pay someone to just come in here clean up and get me organized!” I’ve heard this many times from entrepreneurs who work 10-15-20 hours a day. Many of us spend our days sitting in front of a computer and simply don’t have time to clean out the garage, deep clean our kitchen, or take care of our yards. If this is something you enjoy doing, I can practically guarantee you that you can do this and make some pretty good money. I actually know several organizers personally who are doing pretty well. They are hired to take care of hopelessly unorganized people for a fee. The organizers I know will to and either helps their clients or actually do the work for them. Everything from cleaning out a disorganized closet to shopping and stocking their homes with things like linens, toiletries, and everyday items. Especially around the holidays when they also help with the putting up and taking down of decorations.
#6 Administrative, Writing, Editing, and others
This is how I first got started as a real estate virtual assistant! When I first needed to work from home I wanted to take the skills I had from the Corporate world to start my business. I loved working with real estate agents helping with their paperwork and I knew I could do it from anywhere as long as I had a phone and the internet. From there I grew my skills into being a speaker, digital marketer, coach, mentor, and creating this network. Now, my daughter does editing for many of my clients and I help with building online businesses. If you think about it, anything an administrative assistant does now can be done from anywhere except putting a piece of paper in a folder. An most offices are digital and filing in person isn’t needed. So, if you like writing there are businesses looking for you to help with their blogging. There are businesses looking for help with editing, marketing, data entry, editing websites, research, help with social media, graphic design, and many other administrative skills. There is a virtual assistant academy on YES! Women’s Network that will teach you what you need to know and other resources to get you started as well.
Other hobbies that could turn into cash:
- Photography
- Website Design
- Graphic Design
- Drawing
- Music
- Couponing
- Blogging
- Affiliate Marketing (selling other peoples products)
- Mowing Lawns and Shoveling Driveways
- Selling from our Garden
- Canning
- Garage Sale Flips
- Tutoring
- Teaching Classes
- Decorating Homes
- Running Errands for the Elderly
- YouTube – Teach Lessons
Here are a few hobbies turned cash of clients and friends of mine. They are all having a lot of fun. Some are making more money and have turned into a real business than others, but all are making money from home which is super cool!
Lanmom Originals
Ridgetop Virtual Solutions
Pam Bennett
GigiGoes
Tiia Lin
Primary Wellness
The Happy Gal
Everflect
Paula’s Kitchen
Somer Lang
Scrap n’ Things
Love to Bake You Happy
Love You Dear Photography
New Mexico Farm House Designs
Build It Mom
Just One Elle
Romance Enhanced Consulting
1 Sister 2 Sister
Crafty Thrivin LLC
Beyond the Shaker
Hand Picked Daisy
Decide what you like to do and what you want to do then join YES! Women’s Network and let’s find a way you can turn that into cash! Be sure to join our community and share your ideas with us so we can all pitch in and help you get started today.
We can all use a little more self-confidence these days. Self-confidence can often be in short supply in trying times but there are ways you can get it back. When your self-confidence is lacking, you need to take control of the situation and make yourself-confident again. You can accomplish a lot more with self-confidence than you can without.
Once you know how to create confidence, you become a powerful person. Confidence breeds more confidence which is a direct link to success.
So how can you get your self-confidence back?
Try one or more of these techniques and see how your confidence soars!
Make a to-do list.
Having a to do list ensures that nothing will fall through the cracks and allows you to see what is on your plate. From there, choose 3 to 5 tasks that are the most important to accomplish for the day, prioritize them and then get them done. You will be amazed at how awesome you will feel as you tick the items off the list. Show yourself that you can be productive and successful.
Each time you make a list or a plan and execute it, you have more confidence in yourself.
It doesn’t matter what it is you accomplish, just the act of accomplishing is not only motivating but a big self-confidence booster.
Keep your biggest goals to yourself.
Revealing your big goals to others can be enough to make you consider quitting if the feedback you get is not positive. This is de-motivating and will make you question your goals.
Improve your posture.
How you use your body affects how you feel. If you sit and stand tall, you’ll feel more confident, try it; sit up in your chair and see how much more confident professional you feel. In fact, many salespeople make their calls standing up for this exact reason.
List all your positive qualities and accomplishments.
There are plenty of things you can admire about yourself. Even if you have to call your mom and friends for inspiration, make a list of all your positive qualities. It won’t take long before you feel a little confidence welling up inside of you. Keep the list handy for future reference and keep adding all your accomplishments to it.
Remove those things from your life you’ve been tolerating.
We tolerate too much in our lives. It is important to get rid of everything and everyone that is a confidence and energy sucker.
Do something you’re good at.
What are you good at? Whatever it is, you feel better after doing it. Try to spend time each day doing something that you know you’re great at. Your self-confidence will increase.
Exercise.
Exercise provides more than just health benefits. It boosts your willpower, stamina, and self-belief. Exercise also reduces anxiety. All of these things can’t help but boost your self-confidence, too. It’s important to try to get at least a little exercise each day.
End Result.
It’s probably not possible to feel confident 100% of the time, but you can come a lot closer than you think. Even in challenging circumstances, you are the same.
Self-confidence is always right there, you just have to see it.
These simple actions are an easy way to find the self-confidence you’ve temporarily misplaced.
Share with us what works best to boost your self-confidence! We would love to hear from you!
Have you recently decided to shift gears or make a change in your life? Anything from learning a new language to changing jobs or your career can be both exciting and frightening at the same time. Why?
You can prepare but you can’t always control the pace of your progress.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary transition means “passage from one state, stage, subject or place to another (i.e., change)”. Some of the synonyms for transition include development, alteration and the word shift, which is where I’ll focus for a few minutes.
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck behind someone who’s new to driving a car with a manual transmission (aka stick shift)? It gets obvious pretty quickly when you’re on a hill and they start to drift backwards.
There’s no way to avoid this newbie because you’re on a two-lane road and can’t pull around them. So you sit helplessly — watching and waiting for impact.
Sometimes you may feel, regardless of your efforts, your progress has slowed to a crawl. Let me remind you… even though you’re only inching along (like in rush hour traffic) and it feels like you’re sitting still – you’re NOT.
So STOP being so hard on yourself!
Even when a shift or transition is positive it doesn’t happen without detours.
Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we have to be “perfect” even when we know that’s unrealistic.
Follow a Process
When you’re trying to learn new skills or brush off old ones (like interviewing for a job in a new arena or starting a business) you need to remind yourself there’s a process, and possibly a learning curve to get from points A to Z.
Every goal requires a process. Occasionally, the sequence doesn’t matter, but usually doing things out of order take much longer and that’s when you are able to execute the steps that way.
Using my car example, I never thought of myself as being well coordinated, but despite that perception I still had to follow a specific sequence of steps.
After starting the car, I had to put it in gear to drive it. I had to depress the clutch, then shift to first gear, depress the clutch, shift to second gear and so on as my speed increased. All the while I had to maintain consistent acceleration with my right foot.
The first few weeks were mentally exhausting – probably the way you’re feeling as you learn a new skill (language or instrument), search for a new job, prepare yourself for a new career or business, etc.
Eventually, you’ll discover your rhythm and won’t have to think about each step. Once you have a plan, you’ll have a better idea what you need, and how to get there.
Just remember, you aren’t the first person learn how to fill in the blank. There’s only one way overcome your hindrances. You have to be willing start over even when you have temporary failures.
People Who Overcame
Thomas Edison was told he was “too stupid to learn anything” as a child and even fired from his first two jobs because he wasn’t his productivity was didn’t meet the standards set by his employers.
Lucille Ball was seemingly a late bloomer as an entertainer but “I Love Lucy” has been in syndication for decades. She also ended up being the first woman to run a TV production company (Desilu Productions).
Walt Disney failed and declared bankruptcy before forming the Walt Disney Company.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the celebrities who uses both her first and last names but is known worldwide by only her first name. Yet, she’s been very open about the multiple episodes of molestation and rape she endured as a child. Still she overcame those traumatic experiences as well as several in her professional life before launching her Oprah show which ran for 25 years. Of course, she started her OWN Network after walking away from her popular Chicago-based show.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States endured many public defeats, as well as private ones. Before he was elected president in 1860, he experienced devastating events such as his sweetheart dying, business failure, a nervous breakdown and political losses.
Read more inspiring stories here:
Despite situations that would have deterred many people, these leaders in their fields persevered. They stayed focused on their goals rather than dwelling on their defeats or being deterred by them.
When they experienced failure they kept going. Use their examples to inspire you. Your goal may not be life-saving but it can be life-changing, which means somebody is waiting for you to step up and tell people what you have and how you can help them improve their lives, their businesses, etc.
In summary:
Shifting gears can be both thrilling and scary at the same time, but transition allows us to find more fulfillment as we enrich the lives of others.
Sometimes we are Our Own Worst Enemy.
It’s important to remind yourself when you set a goal, it doesn’t mean the achieving it will be all smooth sailing. You may stumble and even feel like giving up occasionally.
Although, it may be intimidating the most direct path to attaining our goals can be met by following these steps:
- Identify your goal.
- Picture yourself achieving it.
- Implement your plan.
- Be patient with yourself during the process.
- Reach your goal!
Share in the comments the one goal you are working on right now.
Have you encountered obstacles? If so, how have you motivated yourself to keep going rather than allowing them to stop your progress?
Often when people hear the term “Law of Attraction” (LOA), they usually respond by saying ““it’s all hooey” or “its voo-doo”. However, for us believers, it is a life altering concept that can provoke profound positive (or negative) change in our lives.
According to Wikipedia, the Law of Attraction is the belief that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts a person brings positive or negative experiences into their life. The belief is based on the idea that people and their thoughts are both made from “pure energy”. And that through the process of “like energy attracting like energy” a person can improve their own health, wealth and personal relationships.
Power of Our Mind
The work of quantum physics has demonstrably shown the incredible power our mind has over our lives.
You don’t ever have to understand the physics part to enjoy the benefits of the LOA. The LOA is a force in life whether you choose to believe (or utilize) it or not.
Every second of the day, the universe is responding to our thoughts and feelings, both positive and negative. By using our thoughts positively, we create positive outcomes by manipulating the universe into giving it to us.
Hundreds of years ago the Law of Attraction was first thought to have been taught to man through the immortal Buddha. Buddha wanted it to be known that ‘what you have become is what you have thought’. This belief is deeply intrinsic to the Law of Attraction.
Western Culture came up with the term ‘Karma’ for what the universe brings. What you give out to the world (such as joy, anger, love or hate). That is what will ultimately show up in your life.
Choose What You Want
In its simplest form, LOA is about choosing what you want. Then feeling the emotions associated with already having it, and then “releasing desire”. That is, let go of the outcome and relax.
It’s like putting an order in at a restaurant. Once you’ve told the waiter what you want. There is no point in getting anxious, because you know your order is on the way.
When we choose to utilize the LOA, we are choosing to manipulate reality to our benefit.
By choosing positive emotions we are telling the universe that we want more of these feelings in return.
And if you really want to get specific, you can use visualizations to tell the universe exactly how you want those feelings returned to you.
Affirmations and Visualization
To use the LOA effectively you must use cognitive reframing techniques as well as affirmations and creative visualization. These will replace limiting, self-destructive negative thoughts with ones that are more aligned with what we want… that is, positive thoughts.
A key component of the philosophy is that in order to effectively change a negative thinking pattern, you must also “feel’ that the desired outcome has already occurred. Meaning you visualizing the positive situation you want to create. This combination of positive thought and positive emotion is believed to allow one to “attract” positive experiences and opportunities by achieving resonance with the energy of the LOA. If you want to be in abundance, think, feel and act as if you are already in abundance.
Movement of Energy
The LOA is a universal law, similar to gravity, and is about the movement of energy. The concept of movement of energy has been scientifically proven. Everything emits energy and it’s the level of which will determine what shows up in your life.
The best way to ensure lack is to focus on “lack”.
What you focus on grows.
If you focus on abundance, your life will become more abundant.
Now this does not mean that business will just fall into your lap. You must take action consistent with creating the desired outcome. Like networking or doing a webinar for example, to gain exposure to people who want and can pay for your service.
However, more business will come your way from your efforts and positive beliefs. To make it work for you, you just have to set the intention of what you want and then become a vibrational match to it.
Let’s say you want to lose weight for example. You would imagine and visualize how you would look and feel at your goal weight.
You Shape Your Life
The most challenging part of the LOA is accepting the realization that if we create what happens in our life then every single one of your experiences in life, good and bad, has been shaped by us alone. For many, this is a bitter pill to swallow. Especially if you feel that you have been dealt a particularly hard life or current situation.
Rejoice though because the universe is always on our side, it roots for us to win! The more time you dedicate to learning how to use the Law of Attraction effectively, the more fulfilling and rewarding your life can be. There are no restrictions; open your mind and enjoy the natural abundance of the Universe.
Life is a blank canvas of possibility; you are in control of what the finished picture looks like. If you can hold onto an idea and a belief, and actually see it in your mind’s eye, you can make it happen- with some effort on your part of course.
