Pardon Me, Where Can I Find Some More Caffine

Ever feel like you need 10 extra hours a day? I do especially right now.

Tonight or should I say this morning; I am up studying for the GMAT, expanding my social networking, and debating how many caffeine items I will need at 7AM to be able to function at my stressful sales job.

For me I feel compelled to challenge myself daily and push myself to go places I and others never thought I would go.

I remember when I graduated from my bachelors program thinking I will NEVER go back to for a masters degree, now I am in the process of enrollment with plans to continue on to a PHD. 

Life is amazing; looking at the me from 10 years ago is like looking at a completely different person. In high school my priorities were social and not academic. Now, my greatest pleasures and passions involve learning and developing personally and professionally. Although friends are still important I now realize that your friends do not care whether you succeed or not. It is important to find yourself, set goals, minimize the distractions and achieve.

So cheers to all the caffeine in the world that is allowing me to work, study, maintain relationships with family and friends from afar, spend quality time with my family (Steve, Marley and Myles), and just breathe. Lattes aren't going to be enough this week :)

Here is one of the songs I listen to when I need motivation: Thanks Christina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGyOqC2Rq4E

Bad Days!

 Today was a bad day!

It started off great but as usual someone or something has to rain on your parade.

How do quickly we recover from a negative encounter is what separates us. I myself have taken on the attitude that the only thing that will keep me down is myself. 

So instead of dwelling on irritating things I think of the things I am grateful to have in my life.

-my husband

-my health

-my dogs

-my courage to risk instead of conform

-my job

-my family and friends

-my GREAT attitude.

What are you thankful for? 

I miss my trainer!

Back to the gym for the first time in about a month... BLAH!

I only say blah because I have been forced to return to a trainer-less work out schedule. In Columbus, I was fortunate enough to meet my friend Haley Ellis who later became my personal trainer.  

Although I have lifted weights on and off again in my adult life there is something different about having a professional there to guide you every step of the way.

Many people I've talked to say, "I know how to work out, I don't need a trainer." Well I too thought I knew the best way to lift weights but I was mistaken.

When I started with Haley, I remember telling her how wimpy I was and that I could only do one push up.  After three months of constantly changing and very challenging work outs I was up to 15, and not the girly kind real proper form push ups.

In my old work out days, pre trainer, I used to do the same exercises week in and week out. I worked out for about an hour  3-4 times a week. With Haley, I was there once a week for 30 minutes of none stop circuit training. Each session I worked my entire body, I saw more results from those work outs than when I was going multiple times a week. 

The true test came when I took the meathead aka Steve,  my dedicated husband who lifts weights 4-5 times a week, to one of my sessions. Haley was hard on him, she corrected his form, taught him the importance of flexibility and endurance; he too used to be a know it all but now admits to and uses many of the exercises I learned with her.

If you are considering a trainer, I would suggest you set up a time to meet them first.  I have met some who you can tell really don't care whether you succeed in your goals or not. I was lucky that mine did, I was not allowed to say no or dumb down my work outs because it was hard. Haley pushed me, challenged me and because of her I now feel comfortable doing things that are completely out of the norm at the gym.  I know that the exercises I am doing are far more beneficial than the traditional ones I see everyone doing.

If you are dedicated to your fitness and health I truly recommend seeking the assistance of a professional. The lessons you can take with you are far worth the expense you will incur.

Thanks Haley for helping me learn how to really work out :)

Love ya

Why Florida?

The weather duh!

Ok, that is a lie! As you may or may not know Steve and I actually thought of a few other areas before finally deciding on Florida.  We went from Vegas all the way to Dubai in our minds trying to figure out where would be the best place for us to plant our roots and start pursuing our dreams.

In May of 2009, while visiting Marco Island, we were inspired on a boat in the intercoastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A joke turned into a serious conversation which then led to our business concept.  Our friends on the island, many in which are retired and spend less than six months a year in Florida, informed us of the difficulty finding reliable home watch, painters, and other related contractors.  Steve and I have always talked of starting a property management business and with the economy not getting any better we figured there was no time like the now. With the needs of the "snowbirds" fitting into our original  business model we modified our plan and decided to make the move.

Quitting good paying "career" jobs does not fit todays mold. We've been taught our whole lives to get an education to help land a good job with great benefits; why have we forgotten about the foundations of this country? We are the land of prosperity, some of the largest corporations in the world were once small businesses started by american people with a good idea or great service. It is not magic that made companies like Walmart, Microsoft, McDonalds, and Facebook international successes; it is a combination of risk, dedication, ingenuity, consistency, and passion that formed these iconic brands.

A story that has inspired me is that of Les Wexer, founder of Limited Brands. Check it out!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Wexner

Limited Brands Today!
http://limitedbrands.com/about/index.jsp

I encourage you to sit down and think about where you are compared to where you want to be. If you aren't there yet, what will it take to get there? Make a plan, set the goals and do it. It's not easy but having tried will feel much better than the "shoulda, couldas" years from now.

Good Luck!

I have a list of fantastic books handy to help if you are interested:

Recommendation of where to start:
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki www.richdad.com
Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer www.gitomer.com
(this applies to everyone not just sales, we are all salespeople)