Remember the last time you watched a baby learning to crawl or a toddler learning to walk? Or kids at a playground playing on new equipment? They are not just willing but anxious to explore anything new. They follow the lead of other kids, try new tricks, and genuinely challenge themselves to do more, be more, and learn more. That’s because kids operate outside their comfort zone all the time.

Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “comfortable” as: free from stress or tension; free from vexation or doubts.

It defines the word “uncomfortable” as: causing discomfort or annoyance; feeling discomfort; feeling uneasy.

The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary defines the term “comfort zone” as: the level at which one functions with ease and familiarity.

We can infer, then, that operating in an “un-comfort” zone would be the level at which we function with dis-ease and unfamiliarity. That means our actions and our behaviors will feel awkward, foreign, clumsy, and inept. Each time we “step out” we’re going to feel like a child learning to walk.

My daughter and I talk about this all the time – that the first time you attempt something, no matter what it is, will always feel strange and scary. She has come to know that the first time is always the most difficult and that things get easier after that, so just making it through the first attempt is a triumph to be celebrated. You don’t have to be “good” at something the first time, you just have to get through it.

If you are doing that every single day – doing something new and unfamiliar – your success will likely come very quickly.

Do those feelings ever go away? Yes, and no. If you operate in an un-comfort zone long enough it begins to feel comfortable. You expand the borders of what feels safe. Successful people just keep expanding the limits of what feels uncomfortable. As your actions, behaviors, tasks, and systems begin to feel under your control, step out into a new one. Keep the cycle of risk-taking active and alive.

The only time you or your business will truly grow is when you are taking risks. If your desire is to be enormously successful, get “comfortable” with operating in your un-comfort zone.

Choose excellence!
- Ann Vertel

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Building your financial empire is a process – a simple three step process. And one that, if you follow through to the final step, will get you there every time.

First is to recognize what you see. If most of the time you notice things that are wrong, ugly, difficult, depressing, and not what you want, it is time to change what you see. Wealth builders see opportunities. They see what is right, beautiful, good, simple, joyful, noble, and positive. In fact, they purposefully and deliberately look for those things and seek them out every moment of their day.

Being positive is not necessarily something that comes naturally. Given any circumstance, it is easy to see the negative. You have to choose to see the positive. Wealth builders choose to see the positive in every situation.

Second is to examine your perspective about what you see. Two people can see the same opportunity but interpret it differently. Or you may be choosing to see the positive, and actually do see something positive, but interpret it in an unproductive way.

For instance, one person may see a professional woman sitting on a park bench eating lunch and interpret her body language as wanting to be left alone (how convenient for the non-doer!) and the other may interpret the scenario as the perfect opportunity to start a conversation, to learn about another person and her story.

Lastly, (and this is the vital step because otherwise it’s all just in your head!), you must do something with what you see. This is the step that trips up a lot of people. Maybe you’re an information junkie – you keep getting smarter but don’t do anything with that knowledge. Wealth builders take some sort of action. It doesn’t have to be the perfect action, and very often they make mistakes, but they do take action.

If you wait around ’til you get “good enough” or for the perfect circumstance, you’ve lost that opportunity to do something. Take imperfect action.

When you see a business opportunity, you may hold yourself back because you’re not dressed just right, or haven’t worked out the right thing to say, or don’t have the right materials with you (seeing a pattern here? it’s all non-action). Take action. It may not work out just right….but on the other hand, it just might. If you do nothing, you’ll get nothing.

So look for the income producing opportunities (not all the circumstances that look too hard), interpret those opportunities optimistically, and take any forward-moving action. Make mistakes. Make lots of mistakes. But keep taking action. That’s what wealth builders do – shouldn’t you?

Choose excellence!
Ann Vertel

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• Drawing a Line in the Sand
• What Will People Say?
• Are You Sure?

Imagine a woman sitting at a bus stop. It’s a hot day and there is very little shade. She sits facing the oncoming traffic and is very, very busy….waiting. You pull up to the bus stop in a long, white stretch limousine. Your limo stops and you open the door.

You call out to her, “I’m going your way, would you like to ride in the limo?”

“No thanks,” she answers, “I’m waiting for the bus.”

“Yes, but the bus might not come, and even if it does, it’s an awfully long, uncomfortable ride to your destination. Come join me in the limo, it’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

“No thanks,” she says again, “I’m waiting for the bus.”

You are now absolutely baffled. It seems almost ridiculous that she wouldn’t take the limo ride.

Can’t she see what a wonderful opportunity it is for her?
Can’t she see that she will get to her dream destination so much faster and better?
What’s wrong with her?

Nothing. She’s just not ready to change.

You might get out of the limo, sit with her awhile, explain all the features of the limo and all the benefits of the ride. You tell her how much better her life will be in the limo. You pour out your heart and soul and tell her all about the day you were sitting at a bus stop and your limo pulled up. You point out other women in other limos who are laughing and enjoying life and heading to their dream destination.

And she still says, “no.”

In the meantime, another limo passes by the two of you and pulls up to the next bus stop down the road. The woman at that bus stop is ready for a limo…and she gets in.

You see, you can not actually motivate another person.
You can only create an opportunity for her to motivate herself.

You can not make her want something.
She has to want it all on her own.

If you are in direct sales and you offer your business opportunity to another woman, you are giving her an incredible gift. A chance to change her life. It is insulting to your business to beg someone to be a part of it. You don’t have to convince anyone of the amazing opportunity you have to share with them, you just have to share it.

Those women who choose to get in the limo will flourish.
The others are waiting for a bus.

If you spend time convincing them to get in the limo you will miss out on meeting the women who will. Close the door, let them go, and move on down the road.

Choose excellence!
- Ann Vertel

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• Recruiting is Like Trick or Treat
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I remember the first time I was allowed to go out trick-or-treating on Halloween night with just my friends. (Of course I’m sure my Dad was following along at a safe distance but he’ll neither confirm nor deny that accusation!)

Our mission was a singular one – get as much candy as possible in the shortest amount of time. In other words, I wanted my big plastic orange pumpkin overflowing with goodies.

We literally ran from house to house as we scoured our neighborhood intent upon our goal. On occasion, we approached a house, rang the bell, and nothing happened. The lights were on but no one answered the door.

Put in that situation, what do most kids do?

They move on to the next house. “Come on, let’s go” and they’re headed down the block.

They don’t stop for a second to wonder why the owners didn’t answer the door. They don’t take it personally.
They don’t think that they’re wearing the wrong costume.
They don’t walk around the house peering in the window trying to see why the owners didn’t answer the doorbell.
They don’t sit down on the front step and pout.
And can you even imagine that they would just quit and go home?
No way.

Kids are neat people to observe with regard to how they handle rejection. It just never occurs to them that the rejection is about them!
And why? Because it’s not.

Kids have a unique ability to observe the world just the way it is.

As we grow up, our self-esteem takes a few hits and we start to think that everything that happens to us is about us. It’s not.

If you’re in direct sales and you you hear “no, no thanks, I’m not interested, it’s not for me, I don’t like selling, please don’t ever, ever, ever, ever, ever call me again for any reason whatsoever”….it is about them, not you and not the opportunity you have to offer.

Run to the next house, and the next one, and the next one.

That’s where the candy is.

Remember, your goal is a full plastic pumpkin, and you don’t care which houses or how many houses it takes to make that happen.

Choose excellence!
- Ann Vertel

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Choice gives you power. Once you recognize that you get to choose everything about your future, you will gain enormous power over your life. But too many people will never take that step – never acknowledge that they are the architects of their life and their business. It’s much too easy to just blame someone or something else for their apparent inability to become a success.

Successful people aren’t that way by accident. They didn’t just happen to fall into it. They chose it. Strategically.

If you knew, truly knew, that the only thing standing between you and that audacious dream of yours was your willingness to choose, you would stop all the complaining and sobbing and hanging on to your story about why it’s all just so difficult, and you’d get on with the business of being successful.

Successful people are not the ones telling you how hard it is, are they?

The ones telling you it can’t be done are those who aren’t doing it. They are attached to their identity as a person who struggles, who carries on in the face of insurmountable odds, who take on too much and crumple under the pressure because they are addicted to the attention they get for the struggle.

You can choose today, right now, to let all that go.

You can choose to stop seeking credit for all you’ve been through and start seeking the personal satisfaction that only comes with accomplishment.

You can choose to stop wallowing in your need to be validated for your suffering.

You can choose to release your white-knuckled grip on your need for sympathy and validation from others and start doing the things successful people do.

They choose a goal (how much, by when).
They determine what it will take to reach that goal.
Then they go do that.

They do not wait for permission.
They do not look for affirmation from others.
They don’t waste their time allowing drama to infect their life.
And they do not seek credit for trying.

You can be enormously, abundantly successful or you can be a martyr but you can’t do both. Choose wisely.

Choose excellence!
Ann Vertel

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Wouldn’t it be nice if becoming a success was easy? Unfortunately, it’s not. It takes consistent, daily action, calculated risks and, well…work. Work that involves doing things that don’t come easy.

Working like that just doesn’t sit well with most people, and that’s why most people never reach their ultimate potential and spend their whole life wishing and hoping for things to be different. Wishing and wanting and hoping are not strategies…or actions.

You already know what it would take for you to become an uncanny success..
The question is, are you willing to do what it takes?

Most people aren’t.

They don’t want to give up doing what comes easy or what they’re used to or what comes along to fill up their time. Doing the things they would need to do to change their situation just isn’t convenient – they’d have to give up things they’re used to.

Successful people behave differently. They don’t base their pursuit of excellence on the actions that are easy for them. They base their actions on what will make them a success.

Stop trying to get ahead by doing the things that feel safe, comfortable, and easy – that will just get you more of the same. Determine what actions will make you proud of your accomplishments and then do them, however inconvenient and difficult they may be. Only then will you lead the life you desire.

Choose excellence!
- Ann Vertel

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Today is day 3 of a 21-day cleansing detox for me. I’ve never done this before, but it was time.

My “word” for 2010 is “physical.” I’ve spent so much of my time in my head, that I’ve built up a cadre of physical things that need to be addressed. So I’m detoxing, giving up caffeine, having all the tests done to check my thyroid, lipids, cortisol, heavy mentals, and a pile of other things that affect my work, school, and life. I’m sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and I refuse to keep going this way.

What’s amazing to me is how long I’ve tolerated feeling awful – over 2 years now. I kept thinking I just needed to work out more or eat less sugar but when I came home from a workout and felt exhausted in the shower, I knew there had to be more to it than that.  I really felt like if I didn’t take some drastic action, I was going to die. 

On this detox I can’t have any dairy, beef, pork, wheat, gluten, peanuts, caffeine, corn or tomatoes. Sounded easy at first but I spent the good part of an hour in the grocery store yesterday stunned at how little there was left for me to eat.

And I’m hungry! Veggies, fruit, water, and boiled chicken can only fill you up for so long. The first day I wanted bread. And chocolate. The second day seemed easier and I felt good about my ability to stick to it and be true to myself.

Then today I stood in the shower and thought I’d lost weight, at least some of the “belly fat” that plagues most women after they’ve had children. Cool. The neat part is that I”m not tired, or cranky, and I actually feel…well…lighter somehow. I’m excited to see how I feel at the end of 3 weeks. If I feel fabulous, I may never go back!

Choose excellence!
- Ann

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When you have a failure or a set-back in your business – let’s say all your appointments for the week cancel on you – how you choose to explain the cause for that could mean the world of difference in what happens next.

Dr. Martin Seligman, the Psychologist most noted for his work in learned optimism, describes a mental state more potent than self-esteem. It is called “explanatory style” and it means the way we think about causes.

Feeling bad about the situation, blaming either yourself or others, will affect your self-esteem.

Determining how permanent and pervasive the cause is, will affect the actions you take in response.

Feeling bad is not the cause of failure. But if you believe that the situation is permanent, or that this is the beginning of a new trend, then you may stop trying and that leads directly to failure.

For example, instead of saying,

“Everyone cancels on me”

which describes a belief that the cause is permanent, what if you said,

“There will always be cancellations and I accept that as part of my work”

which describes a belief that the cause is temporary.

If you believe that a cause is permanent, you are likely to give up.

If you believe a cause is temporary, you are likely to take action to change the situation – like picking up the phone and making new appointments.

Your belief in the permanence of any set-back will determine your response, and it is your response – your deliberate action – that determines your success or failure.

Choose excellence!
Ann Vertel

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Perhaps you’ve have heard Denis Waitley’s quote, “Happy people plan actions, they don’t plan results.” You almost have to read that quote twice to understand his message.

There is a psychological test, originally developed by Julian Rotter, called the “Locus of Control” that essentially determines where an individual places the power to control events in their lives – either internally or externally. Their score indicates whether they take full responsibility for what happens to them, whether they give all the power to their circumstances, or whether, like most people, they fall somewhere in between.

As you can imagine, those with a high external locus of control often feel powerless and victimized. Those with a high internal locus of control usually feel strong, independent, and in charge of their circumstances. You can guess where most entrepreneurs score.

We can choose to be in charge of our circumstances or we can choose to let our circumstances control us. It’s our choice.

To feel more powerful and in control, you must develop a stronger internal locus of control. One of the best ways to do that in your business is by setting action goals instead of results goals.

When you set a results goal you are not 100% in control of the results. You could be dependent upon other people, circumstances, time, or the weather cooperating in order for that goal to be met. If they don’t, you’ll likely be disappointed that you didn’t meet your goal.

It’s not that you didn’t work hard and it’s not that you didn’t plan properly. It’s just that the power to complete some aspect of that goal was not entirely yours.

However, when you set an action goal, one that is based on the action steps you can take entirely on your own (number of phone numbers dialed, miles run, words typed etc.) it is entirely within your power to make that happen. That means you can meet your goals every time if you so choose. And if you set high enough action goals, the payoff is extraordinary results.

Be bold!
Ann Vertel

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Ever been in a rut? Either with work or chores or your family or even your hobby? Oh my, but I was in a BIG rut!

For the past two weeks I have been working out at odd times of the day, and it’s felt good. Well, odd compared to my normal “routine.” I usually do my workout in the morning. I love the idea of being completely showered and ready to take on the day right from the start.

But lately I’d found my self resisting…strongly!

Even with my clothes laid out in the bathroom the night before, my iPod all charged up, and no reason in the world not to go, I was talking myself out of my morning workout.

But I didn’t not work out. I just didn’t do it at the time I normally do it.

I was going later in the day, sometimes in the evening. I had “changed up” my routine and it seemed to be working for me.

There is a sense of freedom in changing up your routine every now and then. As long as you still accomplish your goals and don’t let yourself off the hook, a change in your routine can even bring greater success.

No more rut.

Where in your business or daily routine are you stuck in a rut? What simple change to the time of day could you make for certain tasks? Maybe you just need to change the location. Or just rearrange the furniture a bit and see things from a different perspective.

What’s the best time to work out? When you’ll do it.

What’s the best time and place to make calls? When and where you’ll do it.

What are the best days to meet with clients? The days you’ll actually do it.

Change your routine, not your goals, and get out of that rut!

- Ann Vertel

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