• Leave the past where it belongs, behind you. We have a tendency to hang on stuff we don’t really need. Experiences and emotional pain are certainly no exception. The truth is that we have no reason to hang onto the things that have hurt us before. If it isn’t happening right now, then it has no real power of us. Forgive. Accept. Close the door. Declare that the past has no place in your present.
• Unclutter your space. Just as we tend to hang onto past experiences, we also love to junk up our lives with things we don’t need and that don’t serve us. Get rid of anything that isn’t bringing you peace or joy, or that distracts you from your passion and purpose in life. Donate your extra clothes to a shelter. Sell your gaming system and put the cash in your savings account. Clean off your desk at work. Having a clear space allows for better focus and more inner peace.
• Heal yourself. Most of us are guilty of neglecting ourselves in the form of our mental and physical health. If you’re not 100%, it’s difficult to be effective in any area of your life. Commit to caring for your body and mind. Eat healthy foods, drink water, move your body, meditate, get enough sleep. Do all of the things your body wants you to do, for you.
• Guard your energy. Toxic people are everywhere and misery loves company. Avoid getting caught up in drama, gossip or negative conversations. Instead, take control of your surroundings and gear the conversation towards positive, uplifting and empowering dialogue. It’s amazing how much power you have to influence how other people think and experience the world.
• Serve others. We are a self-obsessed society, and in almost all situations, we consider what we’re getting out of it. Take a different perspective and get present to what you can give to others in every waking moment. Help out a coworker, carry someone’s groceries, volunteer for a non-profit or shovel someone’s driveway. When you seek to help others without personal gain, you end up getting more than you give in the form of joy, fulfillment and connection.
• Be a team player. Remember self-obsession? We really need to work on this one. Whether you’re part of a company, a family, a sports team or just a part of society, being a team player is a critical skill if you want to live powerfully. No man is an island. Take time to listen and consider other people’s feelings and perspectives. Don’t interrupt. Don’t shut down ideas. Don’t criticize. Create a space for healthy, open communication and collaboration. When we work together, anything is possible.
• Stop complaining. Have you heard of the Law of Attraction? Well, it works, for better or worse. If you speak negativity, you will attract negativity. It’s that simple. Ever feel like you just keep getting slammed by life? It’s probably because you’re complaining, and you’re giving off a magnetic vibe that’s pulling more bad juju your way. So rather than complaining about what’s going wrong, take charge of your life. Control the controllable and think positive thoughts only.
• Affirm yourself and others daily. The power of positivity is remarkable. Start each day with positive affirmations to yourself about who you are, what you’re going to accomplish and what your life is going to be about. And don’t stop there. You really do have the power to impact the people around you and create a circle of positivity. We all love to acknowledged for who we are.  A genuine compliment goes a long way in making someone feel empowered and confident. So let the good vibes flow.
• Trust more, not less. Us humans spend so much time being fearful. We’re afraid of taking risks in our relationships, in our careers and in our passions. And, because we give that fear power over us, we actually stop ourselves from doing what we really want to do in our lives. This year, punch fear in the face. Do what you’re afraid of. Trust yourself, trust your instincts, trust the process, and trust others. The worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work out. But you’re tough. You’ll survive. I promise.
• Get back up. In the face of failure, remember that there is no failure. We fall down. Things don’t go as planned. So what? That’s part of the journey. It’s lessons learned and experience gained. As long as you get back up and keep moving forward, you’ll get there.
• Live your purpose. You know that seed in your heart that’s been there for as long as you can remember? That thing that makes your heart happy and sets your soul on fire? That thing is your purpose. It exists within you because you are meant to do it. So go do it. Without fear. Without hesitation. Without excuses.
• Practice gratitude. The simple act of counting your blessings daily energizes you more than you can imagine. Far too often, the amazing things in our life go unnoticed. We are distracted, overwhelmed and exhausted. Take a few minutes each morning to look at all you’ve been gifted.
• Smile often. Smiling actually burns calories, helps you look younger, improves your mood and creates a space where others feel safe and happy as well. Smiles are contagious and powerful, and universal. A smile can change the world, truly. So smile as often as possible.
• Be Happy. Happiness isn’t in in the past or the future. It isn’t found in success or wealth. Happiness is yours for the taking, right now and in this moment. Choose to be happy, regardless of your circumstance. Because, chances are, at this very moment, everything is just fine. And even if it’s not, the next moment is just around the corner.

It was the answer to my biggest insecurity as someone brand new to sales and recruitment. How was I supposed to convince people that I knew what I was doing, that I was going to be successful, that they could trust me to help them achieve their goals? Simple. Fake it. Until I make it. I did just that. And it worked. It really did. For awhile.

I used social media as a platform to grow my business. I made posts about every little freedom my job allowed me. I shared about how rapidly my team was growing. I posted about all of the wonderful aspects of this job and all of the opportunity it created, for someone who was successful in doing it, which wasn’t me quite yet. But it did work. People saw my excitement, my commitment and my faith in what I was doing and they joined it. It really didn’t take that long before I was actually successful.

The fake-it-til-you-make-it approach worked so well that I started teaching it to my team. Well, not just teaching. Perhaps more like preaching. It became part of my training model. I expected new team members to make these types of posts regularly because, if they wanted to be successful, this concept worked. And it worked relatively quickly.

What I didn’t realize until much later is that faking it doesn’t actually work at all. Why? Because it’s a lie. It’s inauthentic. It’s not sustainable. Sure, I did find actual success by faking it in the beginning. But in the process, I lost part of myself. I became this other version of myself on social media, and even beyond. I was no longer able to clearly distinguish what was part of the lie and what wasn’t. I felt a constant need to uphold an image, an ideal of what life was like, in order to attract people to what I was doing. It was draining. Eventually I started to disengage from my business because I had come to feel so inauthentic about who I was being. I didn’t want to do it anymore. And I didn’t know any other way to do my job.

After some time “off”, a lot of personal development and time soul searching, I realized that there was another way. A better way. I decided to start fresh and make it until I made it. 

Confusing? Maybe a little. Let me explain. I just realized that instead of pretending to be this or that, I just had to start making my life the way I wanted it to be until it was the way I wanted it to be. It’s simple, really. Just get to work. Start creating. Start doing. Start being.

“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” -Buddha

When I adopted this new approach to my businesses, and to my life, I found a completely new kind of freedom. A freedom in being fully present to the passion and purpose behind my goals. Having access to that created the space for so much more success and possibility. Perhaps more importantly, that methodology has allowed me to be wholly at peace with where I am at any stage, with any endeavor while feeling completely empowered to design my life as I want. That is true freedom.

If you are struggling to find clarity, direction or power in any area of your life, I would love the opportunity to help. Fill out this form for a free consult.

If you read my last blog post, you probably learned quite a bit about me. I revealed some of my deepest, darkest truths to the world wide web as part of a program I was completing back in May. And I’ve been pretty quiet here since then. But it’s not out of shame or embarrassment. The truth is that I’ve been insanely busy with some amazing changes in my life that all began when I finished the Landmark Forum and came back to Pittsburgh.

When I went to Los Angeles in early spring, my life here at home was in shambles. I had just lost a successful business I’d spent three years pouring my blood, sweat and tears into. My relationship ended abruptly, and in a very toxic way. I felt lost. I was alone, a single mom with no sustainable source of income and no idea where to go from there. So I boarded a plane to LA to get away and gain some clarity. My lifelong friend, Matt, had insisted I enroll in the Landmark Forum, a “self-help” seminar of which I had no knowledge about. I’ve always been invested in self growth and introspection and his passion and push for me to complete this program left me little excuse to decline.

The three (very long) days I spent doing the Forum were truly the most transformative of my life. When I gave birth to my son, I became a mother and I suddenly knew unconditional love for another. When I completed the Landmark Forum, I became free and I suddenly knew unconditional love for myself, and for all others. It was THAT powerful.

Life after Landmark has been a whirlwind, but I wanted to take some time to share with you what that’s been like. As a blogger, I always feel compelled to let you into my world. But truthfully, the point of this post is to share with you what is possible for you, through Landmark. Allow me to say, as a side note, that I am in no way affiliated with Landmark Worldwide. I simply want to pay it forward by sharing my experience.

Now, the good stuff!

As part of the course, I was encouraged to write letters and make phone calls to people I had wronged, or who had wronged me, as part of a self-liberation process from any guilt or resentment that might be holding me back from success, healthy relationships and really in any area of my life. This part of the Forum was challenging, but I welcomed the opportunity to free myself of the baggage I’d been dragging around for thirty-some years. I knew that, despite the outcome of those calls and letters, I’d be coming home to the same life in disarray, of which I had no idea how to rebuild. But I was returning with a newfound freedom; freedom from self-limitation, freedom from the guise of victimhood and freedom from fear.

As I stepped off of the plane in Pittsburgh, I was keenly aware of the absence of a fear that had come to dictate my existence. I knew that only possibility existed beyond those doors. I was ready for it, whatever it was.

I had two major goals for myself post-Landmark. The first was to do everything in my power to rebuild the relationship I had so intently destroyed prior. I knew that repairing the damage would not be easy, that it would take time, patience, determination and forgiveness. But I refused to believe that it was impossible. I only saw what was POSSIBLE. Pursuing this goal was one of the most difficult things I’ve done in my life. It demanded that I remain outside of the meanings I was inclined to attach to everything that was said, or unsaid, done or undone. It demanded that I see the man that I love for who he really is, and not for the ways in which he responded to the unraveling of our relationship. It demanded that I forgive myself, and him over and over again, for our insecurities and fears and flaws. It demanded that I remain focused solely on the possibility of something new. And, in the end, through God’s grace and through the freedom and clarity I gained through the Landmark Forum, victory was ours. Mine, and his. And God’s. We are now happier and healthier than ever, and have a completely different relationship. And guess what? He decided to do the Forum as well!

It wasn’t just that relationship that was healed, though. Virtually every relationship in my life improved because I had learned how to separate people from their actions, and separate people’s actions from the meanings we attach to them. I was able to see people for who they truly are, behind the walls and beneath the scars. I was able to be my true self as well.

My second goal, after returning home, was to move forward with my professional life. After losing my business, I was terrified to pour my heart into something else and fail. I felt inadequate, and doomed to failure. I found excuses to stay where I was, afraid to take that risk again. But after Landmark, I knew what I wanted to do. And I knew what I needed to do to get there. So I got to work. I’ve been quiet here, but behind the screen, I’ve been insanely busy working on an entirely new business that I am so excited about. I’ve partnered with a great friend of mine to bring something unique and fresh to Pittsburgh’s dating scene! And after months of research, hard work and all of the chaos that a start-up brings, we are just two weeks away from opening our doors. My goal is to build this company to become a staple in Pittsburgh, helping people find love, and eventually head back to Los Angeles to start building there as well.

I’ve also been working behind the scenes on a strategy to develop my personal brand and focus on finding my direction there. I’m excited to be offering life and business coaching both in-office and virtually. You can find more info under the Coaching tab!

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to spend as much quality time with my son as possible during the warm, summer months and before he heads back to school and the new company launches. I’m heading back to LA in October to do the next course in the Landmark curriculum. I’m also doing Landmark seminar series here in Pittsburgh that starts next week.

Only three months after my experience with Landmark, life looks completely different. The impossible became possible, and the possible became reality. I have some big goals I’m still working on, but I have total confidence in my ability to make them happen. Until then, I’m enjoying the ride and all I’ve been blessed with.

For more information on the Landmark Forum, visit http://www.landmarkworldwide.com

Three years ago, after nearly a year of being offered an opportunity to become my own boss for the first time, I took the plunge into entrepreneurship and joined a direct sales company as an independent distributor. I had virtually no experience, no education and no network. I was a new mom, desperate to be at home with my child, with little hope of ever being able to do that without sacrificing financial stability for our growing family. But something inside of me kept telling me that maybe I could. Maybe there was a way.

From the day I got started, my only regret has been that I hadn’t done it sooner. I’ve learned over these years that anyone, even a stay-at-home-mom with no time, energy or clue what she was doing, can be an entrepreneur. I keep using the term “entrepreneur” as if it’s some fancy job. I assure, it’s not. I work from home in sweatpants, hair un-brushed, covered in dog slobber and half- watching Star Wars with my son. It’s not a glamorous job. But it allows me the freedom to focus my life on what truly matters to me: my family, my health and my mission. And it CAN do the same for you.

I want to address some fears and misconceptions about entrepreneurship. But first, allow me to state that my goal is not to convince you to do anything. My intent here is simply to help you break down that wall of self-defeat that’s keeping you from living the life you truly want, and to offer you a way to create that life.

Who? I think the biggest challenge I face in helping people start their own businesses is helping them BELIEVE that they are capable of doing it. Before I became my own boss, I really struggled to see myself as a successful “business” person. I looked at the people who were living that life and felt disconnected and inadequate. I allowed my inexperience and excuses to keep me from following my heart for nearly an entire year. I’ve realized two things since then. First, almost everyone feels this way before they get started. It’s normal to experience fear and doubt when considering a big change. The second thing I’ve learned is that while fear and hesitation may be normal, thinking that you CANNOT do something is wrong. You can do anything you want. The only catch is that you have to believe that it’s possible.

When people ask me if entrepreneurship is right for them, my answer is always “yes.” I believe wholeheartedly that it’s for anyone who wants to create a life with more time, purpose and freedom. There are no prerequisites. There are no disqualifications. Anyone can do this.

Why? There is no question more relevant than that of why someone would want to become an entrepreneur. In fact, this question is so vital that I would’ve started the post with it had I not found so many people counting themselves out of the opportunity on the basis that entrepreneurship is “not for them.” But now that we’ve established that it is, in fact, for everyone, let’s dig into the why.

If I met with you or spoke with you on the phone to discuss becoming an entrepreneur, one of the first things I’d ask you is “WHY do you want to do this?” And by why, I mean what do you hope to gain from it. What are you looking for that you think this opportunity can provide? Why is critical because it’s what will motivate you. It’s what will push you out of your comfort zone, beyond your self-doubt and into success. It’s your fuel AND your fire.

How? There are endless ways to become your own boss, but not all are equal. So bare with me.

Starting a company can be expensive, time consuming and risky. The cost of a storefront or warehouse alone can be hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Factor in equipment, furniture, inventory, labor, advertising, insurance and any other expenses and the majority of Americans are looking at an unattainable goal. Even if you have the capital to invest that much of your money, you’re taking a huge risk.

Then there’s the issue of time. Starting a brick & mortar business takes a tremendous amount of time. Time is your most valuable resource because it can never be replenished. Time you spend investing into a business is time away from every other area of your life. How much time are you willing to devote to creating a life of freedom? 40 hours a week? 50? 60? More?

The good news is that you can become an entrepreneur without having to invest a ton of time or money. That’s how I did it. And that’s why I’m such a huge advocate of network marketing. Bill Gates once said “If I would be given a chance to start over again, I’d choose network marketing.” Dave Ramsey has stated that “The worst thing we can do is get a second job. the best thing we can do is start a home-based business.” Why are these guys such proponents of network marketing? Because it works. I’m living proof.

I went from being a stay-at-home mom living paycheck to paycheck, buying groceries and diapers with credit cards to earning a six figure income, paying off debt and buying my dream car. And I did it from home, working about 10-15 hours a week in my pajamas. It works. It works for anyone.

Where? The answer to this is simple: literally anywhere. Network marketing is a mobile business. My entire business is run through the internet, so I can work from home. Or from the park. Or on vacation. Or wherever I decide to live.

When? Yesterday!

Like I said before, the only regret I have since getting started in network marketing is that I didn’t start sooner. For years I allowed myself to believe that a life of financial freedom or of success was only possible for others, not me. I struggled financially. I thought I’d never get ahead. I felt I’d never be able to provide a good life to my son, to take him on vacations and give him great experiences. I was overwhelmed with debt, fear and hopelessness. I allowed my fear of failure to keep me from having the life I wanted. I settled. Until I realized that there was a better way. Life had more to offer, even for me, if I believed in it.

Besides the fear of taking that first step, I know a lot of people think they don’t have the time to invest into growing a business. I know that time is invaluable. I get it. But one of the greatest things about network marketing is that it doesn’t take a lot of time. It really only takes a few small actions, consistently, day after day. If you can spare an hour a day, you can do this. And isn’t an hour a day worth a lifetime of freedom?

The toughest part of my job is seeing people on the verge of freedom afraid to take that step forward. I want to push them. Pull them. Drag them. Because I know how close they are to breaking through that wall between settling and succeeding. I understand their fear but I know that freedom lies on the other side.

When one of my mentors asked me what my goal was for the year, my reply was this….”I want to help as many people as possible create freedom in their lives by becoming their own bosses.” I’m deeply and sincerely committed to that.

The Nitty Gritty. Okay, okay. So having your own business isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. If’ I’m being totally honest. I need to let you in on a few secrets.

1. Taxes. Taxes can be a tiny bit of a pain, but not really. It’s as simple as putting part of your income away and saving all of your receipts. And getting to write off dinner at your favorite restaurant, talking about how much you love your job!
2. Websites and Inventory. Unlike starting a business from the ground up, network marketing eliminates so much of the work. You get your own website(s) and don’t need to stock inventory. Friends and family members can order goods and services through you and pay directly through your site, and the company ships right to them! So you can focus your time on sharing what you’re doing and helping others!
3. Social Media. Let’s be real. We are living in a social media world. Even our president uses social media to communicate. Social media sites are an incredible tool for business owners because they allow you to reach millions of people from your phone or computer! To be successful in network marketing, you have to learn to leverage the power of social media. Sometimes that means stepping out of your comfort zone. But trust me, even for introverts, it’s a game changer and it’s well worth it!

So there you have it. I hope I’ve given you a little bit of insight into what it takes to be an entrepreneur in today’s modern world. Even more so, I hope I’ve given you some hope that entrepreneurship is right for you! If you have even the slightest notion of taking that step into entrepreneurship, let’s chat!

Often times I have men and women join me on this journey of entrepreneurship with wide eyes and excitement. But after a few months, or even a few years, they haven’t seen the success they hoped for. They get discouraged and pull back, or even quit altogether. It’s heartbreaking, because I know how close they’ve come to making all of their dreams come true, only to give them all up.

Being a girlboss certainly comes with its challenges. Learning to be self-motivated and manage my time. Learning how to be a leader, mentor and motivator. Learning business and computer skills. Learning to create systems and trainings so that my team can duplicate my success. And learning when to let others fall, because you can’t want something for someone more than they want it for themselves.

But the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about being a successful entrepreneur are the two things I want to share with you. In order to do something others can’t do, namely live a life of complete freedom, you have to be willing to do something others won’t do, and do it consistently. As far as I’ve been able to gather, there are just two secret ingredients to success: Consistency and Fear.

Consistency. Becoming an entrepreneur has less to do with making some grand gesture and much more to do with consistently doing small things, day after day. (Check out “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy) Small things add up over time. Success is the sum of your efforts, so resolve to do a few things each day that will get you closer to your ultimate goal.

Fear. Let me just clarify that by fear, I actually mean Facing Your Fears. Learning to push through your fear and step outside of your comfort zone is absolutely critical to becoming successful. If you allow yourself to be held back by the fear of failure, of what others think or say about what you’re doing, about not measuring up, or about anything else, you will never achieve your dreams. Success requires courage. And it requires total faith in yourself. Perhaps you’ve heard the famous quote by Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” If you don’t believe it’s possible, then it’s not. But if you have faith, the sky is the limit to your success. So step out in faith and do what scares you!

If you’re ready to get started on your very own journey to success or want to know more about joining my team of entrepreneurs, fill out this application and I’ll be in touch!